Senshi Across Time and Space
by Shritistrang
Summary: Three malevolent forces open three powerful portals across time and space, at the same time. When Sailor Pluto examines the plans of these villains, she accidentally unleashed a power surge. This surge transformed her and her fellow Senshi into unfamiliar bodies, so they have to travel through time and space to reclaim their lost Senshi powers. Crossover with He-Man, TMNT and more.
1. The Surge

Hyrule, 100 years after the fall of the kingdom. The Temple of Time…

An armored boot kicked away a small piece of rock. It wasn't a natural rock, it was more like a piece of marble that fell of the walls of a building.

The tall, menacing figure with the fearsome mask looked around the ruined temple he and his companions were standing in. "This place is a mess. Are you sure you've led us to the right place, demon lord?"

A much skinnier person with pale skin, white hair and a cocky grin on his face stepped next to him. "Trust me on this one, oh King of Twilight," he said in a mocking undertone in his voice. "I've been here before. This is the correct spot." He then let out a faked gasp. "Are you saying you don't trust my perfect memory?"

"I don't think I trust anything coming out of your mouth, Ghirahim," the armored figure growled. "But I want to make sure this whole trip wasn't a colossal waste of my time. Wasn't it you who said that the Temple of Time used to be situated in the desert? Why is it here on this isolated plateau, all of a sudden?"

"It's been more than a thousand years since I've tangled with the first incarnation of the accursed hero. The kingdom of Hyrule didn't even exist back then. You would think the world has changed quite a bit since then, in more ways than one. Try to think a bit outside the box, dear Zant." Ghirahim chuckled to himself. "This is where we want to be if we want to carry out our plan." He took a small glance over his shoulder. "Isn't that right, my dear sorceress accomplice?"

A dark-skinned woman with white hair stepped forth in-between the rubble. She was beautiful, breathtakingly so, which was even more increased by the extremely skimpy, black robe she was wearing. Her usual mask was gone, however, revealing a face that was twisted with anger and contempt for the demon lord. Behind her, a very similar-looking woman in a white robe was covering. In fact, if it wasn't for the brighter skin and the long, blue hair, you could almost call the two women twins.

"I am not your accomplice," the front sorceress spat. "You forced us to go along with your mad plan, to bring you here to this exact point in time and space. Never in thousands of years would I have worked with you two."

"Yes, yes, we heard this speech already," Zant screeched as he twisted his upper body around in a disturbing manner to look at her. "You've mended your ways, became a better person, turned yourself around, yadda yadda, we get it!" He allowed his lower body to twist the same way, so his entire body was facing her. "Honestly, Cia, we would have never even bothered dealing with you, if we didn't need your help. Well, yours or that of your 'sister' over there." He pointed one of his sleeves at the nervous, blue-haired girl.

"I would never do anything for you!" the white sorceress shouted. "And neither will Cia! Right, sis?"

The dark sorceress sighed. "Please, Lana… let me take care of this. You don't know these two creeps as well as I do…"

"If you know us so well, then you already know that we know that you are going to help us," Ghirahim chuckled. "Because we know you, Cia. We know that at this point, you would do anything to protect your little light side come to life that you call your 'sister'." He scoffed. "Seriously, what's with that anyway? You know she's just a weak facet of your soul that you can live without. I like you much better before you started clinging to her."

"We might have been the same person once," Cia said. "But we are sisters now. And nothing you say will ever change anything about that."

"Yeah," Lana interjected. "And as Hyrule's guardians of time, we will never help you with any evil scheme you come up with! Isn't that right, Cia?" There was no response. Lana turned her head and saw how Cia was looking at the ground, almost in a dejected kind of way. "Cia?"

"Don't you realize, little dove?" Ghirahim sneered. "The reason we are here is because Cia already helped us. We needed her to bring us to a working Gate of Time, at a point in time when we have everything we need to proceed with our plan. And she agreed to do just that. We only had to take a small… detour, to take you along."

"Cia?" Lana looked into her darker counterpart's face. "Is that the truth? Did you really help them?"

"I… I'm sorry, Lana…" Cia whispered. "I couldn't let them hurt you… I didn't want to help them, I didn't want to yet again break the oath that we both took when we were one, to protect the flow of time to ever being misused by dark forces… but they threatened to hurt you… or worse." She looked up at Lana, deep regret in her eyes. "I couldn't let that happen."

"Sad but true," Zant giggled. He took off his helmet to reveal the face of his mad, Twili self. "She has no choice. You know, it's almost funny how ironic this is." He slinked closer to them and grinned. "The gods only ever appoint one single maiden as the guardian of time… and yet, here you are, two girls with the same job. If you two didn't care so much for each other… if there really was still only one sorceress of time… it would have made our job so, so much harder."

"But I don't understand," Lana shouted. "What is it that you want us to do? What are you planning? Why this particular point in time?"

"Take a look…" Ghirahim said. He walked over to one of the collapsed walls of the temple and pointed across the remaining plateau, over the entirety of the flat lands of Hyrule that lay below… and towards the dark clouds that were covering the castle looming in the far distance.

"They call it Calamity Ganon," Ghirahim explained. He turned back around to face them, and the two sorceresses saw the anger in his face. "THIS is what our lord and master has been reduced to… a seething pile of wrath and hatred, devoid of any clear thought, a mindless, primal force with no sense of self." He let out an angry snarl. "It makes me FURIOUS to see him reduced to this! This isn't the glorious, majestic man he has been in his previous lives as a conquering warlord. This is not what he DESERVES!" The demon lord's arms shook with fury as he gestured wildly with them. "And the gods, in their endless cruelty… LET! IT! HAPPEN!" He roared these last words into the towering statue of the goddess Hylia that stood behind them.

"Truly, this is not what our great master is supposed to be," Zant agreed. He was far more calm than Ghirahim… or maybe he hid his anger beneath his lunacy. "But there is one good thing coming from this mess…" He also pointed at the dark clouds surrounding Castle Hyrule. "This whole land, not just the castle, but all of Hyrule… are now covered with malice, a manifestation of his power and wickedness!" A hint of delight came through the Usurper King's voice. "And we can use it to our advantage."

"That's right," Ghirahim nodded, as he calmed down at least a bit. "A ritual… a powerful, dark spell that will draw power from all the malice and channel it through the portal…" He pointed towards the Gate of Time, hidden behind the goddess statue. "And we will be able to resummon him in one of his old bodies, resurrected from the confines of time and space, and anchored to this place and its endless source of malice!" The demon lord giggled with glee as he turned back to face Cia and Lana. "He will return to us… it is unavoidable. Unless…" He slowly strode towards Lana and stroke her chin with a chuckle. "You desire to watch your dear 'sister' die a slow, agonizing death, dearest Cia."

In disgust, Lana turned away from him. "Cia… you know you can't allow them to do this. Not just because of our oath… think about what they will do, once Ganondorf has returned. Think about what they will do to Hyrule… to Link…"

"I'm sorry, Lana," Cia said. "But I can't let them hurt you. I don't have a choice…"

"I knew you would say that," Ghirahim grinned. "In that case… I say it is time for us to prepare the ritual. Zant! Put down the candles! Draw the summoning circles! Put all the enchantments into place!"

For once, the mad Twili king agreed with Ghirahim. "Most assuredly, lord of demons… this time… our master will RULE!"

* * *

Eternia, the 53rd year in the rule of Randor. Snake Mountain…

The shrill voice of Skeletor, master of evil, was echoing through the halls of his dark domain. "EVIL-LYN! Come here at once!"

Evil-Lyn, sorceress of evil, appeared in a swirl of magic and gave her master a small bow. "I am here. What is it that you wish?"

"It is time, Evil-Lyn," Skeletor proclaimed as he stood up from his throne. Panthor, his enormous pet panther, raised his head curiously towards his master's excitement. "Time to finally conquer what is rightfully mine and show that annoying He-Man that I will not let myself be stopped my a muscle-bound oaf with a sword. The secrets of Castle Grayskull shall be MINE!"

Of course, Evil-Lyn was used to his grandiose speeches and outbursts by now. "Of course they shall," she nodded. "But enlighten me, Skeletor… what brilliant plan have you come up with this time to ensure our victory?"

"To ensure MY victory, I have come up with a brilliant plan indeed," Skeletor said, with an everlasting sneer on his skull face. "I have delved through all of the mystic books we have here at Snake Mountain… and I do believe there is a spell we can use to weaken Grayskull's defenses." He raised his prized magical weapon, the ram-headed Havoc Staff, high above his head with confidence. "Not even the blasted Sorceress will be able to resist this magic. I will fly there with my Roton, take along an assortment of my best warriors, and bring the gates of Castle Grayskull down."

"Until you are stopped in front of the gates by He-Man and his heroic warriors," Evil-Lyn said with s smug smile.

"Don't get cocky with me, Evil-Lyn," Skeletor fumed. "This time, everything shall be different. Not even He-Man with his magic sword will be able to resist this spell. All I need to finish it is one more component… a single artifact to channel the spell."

Evil-Lyn shook her head with a sigh. "I knew it sounded too easy. What is this artifact and where do we find it?"

"It's the Orb of Time," Skeletor explained. "A mystical gem that can draw magic power not only from the present, but also the past and future." The lord of Snake Mountain cackled. "Unless He-Man can do the same to protect himself and the castle, I doubt he'll be able to handle that."

That actually sounded like a reasonable plan, Evil-Lyn had to reluctantly admit.

"As for where it is… well… the last time I heard from it was a long time ago… when I still was, um… Hordak's apprentice…"

And all at once, Evil-Lyn's hopes of witnessing an actually successful plan from Skeletor evaporated. "Hordak?" she asked. "Really? Leader of the Evil Horde? Supreme ruler of Etheria? Your old master?"

"Yes, I know how it sounds," Skeletor snapped. Frustrated, he brought down his staff with a thunderous boom, so that Panthor leapt to his feet with a surprised growl. "My old mentor and I haven't always… seen eye to eye. But in case that artifact still exists, the best bet is that Hordak has it with him, somewhere on Etheria. So I have to contact him. That's why I need your help to create a portal."

The sorceress rubbed her temples. "And assuming it still is there and Hordak actually knows how to get it… why do you believe he would be willing to help you?"

"Because He-Man has been a thorn in the side of the Horde as well," Skeletor said. "And as soon as he is out of the picture, She-Ra and her little group of rebels on Etheria won't be a problem anymore either. If Hordak understands that, he has no choice but to help me."

Evil-Lyn raised an eyebrow. "And you actually plan on helping him with She-Ra?"

"Well, not… necessarily. But…" He grinned. "He doesn't need to know that, does he?"

She sighed. "Il will help you conjure up the portal to Etheria… but don't complain to me if your brilliant plan somehow doesn't work."

"I didn't call you here to listen to your snide remarks," Skeletor barked. "Now start casting that spell!"

* * *

Earth, present time, several miles below the surface of the ground. The Technodrome…

A pair of mutants were entering the command center, one resembling a warthog, the other resembling a rhino. Together, they were carrying a heavy piece of machinery.

"Oof! Hey, Bebop? This thing sure is heavy," the rhino grunted.

The pig-man nodded in agreement. "I think it's even heavier than my mum's washing machine. Hey… this isn't a washing machine, right? What even is this thing we're carrying, Rocksteady?"

"Not a clue," his horned companion grunted. "Hey, boss! Where do you want us to put his thing?"

"Be careful with that, you morons!" a voice screeched, accompanied by slobbering noises. A towering, mechanical giant stepped forth towards the two mutants. But the creature that spoke was the jiggling mass of pink flesh that was protruding from the robot's stomach… the disembodied, brain-like form of the galactic warlord, Krang. "If you break that, I swear I will use you as guinea pigs for my latest experiment. And for your information, this is an energy field distortion generator, the most important part of a dimension gate."

"Do you really think the gate will work again with this?" The fourth voice belonged to the only human in the room, a menacing figure with an armor that was covered in spikes. This was Oroku Saki, the Shredder, leader of the criminal organization known as the Foot Clan. He was leaning against the wall and watched the whole scene with a lot of skepticism. "You've worked on this machine for the past few months, Krang. And every time you assured us it worked, it failed miserably."

"This time it will work!" Krang shouted, flailing his floppy, arm-like appendages around. "I'm sure of it. Yes, it will allow me to open a new portal back to Dimension X and let in more of my loyal Rock Soldiers, who will help us conquer Earth."

"You say that every time. How are you so certain? And by the way, the Technodrome has always been low on energy. Opening such a portal will use up much of our resources, so how will you make it work?"

"You doubt me, Saki, yet I've never seen you come up with a better idea that actually works," Krang sneered. "And the energy have will be sufficient. I only plan on opening the gate for a couple of minutes. But during these minutes, a lot of Rock Warriors will be able to come through. I managed to double the size of the dimension gate when it opens."

"Let's just hope those Rock Warriors will be enough to take care of the turtles," Shredder grumbled. "As far as I remember, your troops have never been the brightest of minions."

"Yeah," Rocksteady nodded. "Those rock-heads only have gravel for brains."

"Are you sure it's not pebbles?" Bebop asked, scratching his head. "What's even the difference?"

"Don't ask me, I'm not a rockologist," Rocksteady shrugged.

Shredder shook his head with a groan. "Feel free to ignore my last statement, Krang… How long until the gate is ready, by the way?"

"It won't take much longer," Krang said, while his robot body picked up the piece of machinery the two mutants had carried inside. "As soon as this generator is installed, the process to power it up should take no more than 30 minutes. And after that, our invasion can commence."

"30 minutes, that's great!" Bebop grinned. "More than enough time to order pizza."

"Pizza? Yuck!" Rocksteady grimaced. "That's turtle food."

* * *

A place close to the edge of time… where no one can really be certain about the current time.

The Gates of Time… working place of Setsuna Meioh, also known as Sailor Pluto, the guardian of time.

"Something is wrong," she said to herself as she was peering through time. "I feel that… somewhere, sometime… somebody is altering the laws of time and space in an extensive manner." She raised her hand and looked closer. "No… it's not a single person. It's a number of beings, scattered across time and space… they all seek to create some sort of… portal?"

Pluto shook her head and sighed. "Under normal circumstances, an ordinary portal across time OR space wouldn't be much of a deal. But these beings use way more power than necessary to open all these gateways. Their actions will change the flow of fate tremendously in their own worlds. It wouldn't interact with out timeline at all. In fact, our world wouldn't be affected in any way by these changes. However… the fact that there are three portals of such power… worries me."

She started pacing back and forth, thinking to herself aloud. "Every world has its own guardian of time, in some sort of manner. Either one of their gods or one of their champions. And even in worlds where there are no gods, the laws of nature and the cosmos would somehow appoint some sort of guardian. But these worlds… why did their guardians not interfere with such momentous acts?"

The Senshi of Time knew she had an important choice to make. Deciding the fates of other worlds wasn't her choice to begin with. But could there be a chance that these changes of fate could create ripples across the universe, maybe causing changes to her own world as well?

She had to be certain. Raising her Garnet Rod, she channeled her powers into the gates. "Gates of Time!" she chanted. "Show me the beings that desire to take fate into their own hands!"

In the middle of the maelstrom of time, she was able to make out three different images, each showing her a place in a different world. Two of these worlds she instantly recognized. The history of Hyrule and Eternia was infamous enough that most time guardians knew at least the basis of their stories. The third world, she did not recognize. However, she realized that the inhabitants of this world did not plan to create a portal via magical means, as usual. They were using some sort of advanced technology, an area she had not a lot of expertise in. But even before she glanced at the form of the pulsating, brain-like creature that was building this device, she already felt a certain disdain towards him. Whoever intended to use science to manipulate the laws of the universe, had to be either an enormous fool or a madman.

She also realized that the time guardians in Hyrule were forced to act against their will, while Eternia's guardian did not seem to notice what was transpiring within Snake Mountain. But what about the third world? Did it even have a time guardian? Pluto was uncertain. All she could tell was that this place seemed to be some parallel version of Earth, as she had seen countless times before.

Intervening directly was a risky thing to do. Even conversations between different time guardians was frowned upon. But since she had no way of telling whether all of this would affect her own world, or even the future and destiny of Sailor Moon and the rest of the Senshi… she decided to at least have a private conversation with the two sorceresses that were being held captive in Hyrule.

So Pluto reached out with her mind. She let it wander and drift through time and space, across dimensions and countless realities. The changes being done to the destiny of these three worlds were woven together into one, solid stream throughout time. She realized, that somehow, opening these portals would set some sort of event in motion, that would connect them somehow. She prodded the entwined time stream and tried to find a safe way to contact the minds of Cia and Lana.

It was that moment, in which Skeletor, Krang and Ganondorf's followers decided to activate their portals. The preparations for the ritual were complete, the spell was cast, the machine was ready. A sudden burst of uncontrollable power echoed forth throughout the connected timelines, intertwining them even closer to one another. Pluto let out a gasp of shock when she felt the surge. It was so powerful that it shook her mind, soul and body! She felt how her mind drifted away from her intended destination and instead connected to other, unfamiliar minds. Disturbing images and memories of the past were dancing through her brain, memories that were not her own.

"Too much…" she muttered to herself. "Have to sever the connection… have to… quit…"

And suddenly, everything went black for her.

* * *

Setsuna let out a groan. "What… what happened?" Slowly, she came to her senses…

And she immediately felt that something was wrong. Not about the time stream or the gates, no. Her body felt wrong. She couldn't feel her legs, her arms were jiggling like they were made of Jell-O, and her inner organs were so completely twisted and misaligned that she felt like puking.

She slowly opened her eyes… and suppressed the urge to scream. Right there, in front of her eyes, was something that resembled a wriggling, naked earth worm, just the size of her arms. She quickly flailed her arms around to push the disgusting thing away… and the worm started flailing just as wildly.

Then she realized something. "Wait a minute… what?"

She looked up… and towering above her, she saw her own face. But… at the same time, it wasn't. It was a machine that only looked like her. A towering Setsuna-robot, that stood right in front of the Gates of Time.

And she wasn't standing next to it… she was inside it! At this moment, Setsuna finally realized that the flailing, worm-like thing was a part of her… it was her arm! But it had changed… just like the rest of her had changed. She wasn't a human anymore, she was reduced to a flabby pile of flesh, in the rough shape of a human brain, with two tentacle-like appendages and an ugly face right in its middle.

Setsuna realized she had taken a form similar to the alien she had watched through the Gates of Time… the galactic warlord, Krang. And on top of that, she was also inside a robot, similar to his own, except that it seemed to be modeled after her original human body.

"What in the name of Serenity happened here?" she muttered to herself. She winced when she realized that her voice had changed, too. She sounded just as screechy and whiny like Krang.

"It appears the contact our mind made with the other worlds was twisted when the surge of power happened." It took Setsuna-Krang a moment to realize that it wasn't her, who had spoken. It was her own voice… at least it sounded very similar, just a bit deeper and more serious than she had ever been.

She looked ahead… and let out a gasp when she saw the woman standing in front of her. She also looked just like another version of herself, Setsuna Meioh. Only that this version was much taller and muscular. She was also wearing a black armor with broad shoulder pads and a long, flowing cape. And in the middle of her forehead, there was a sparkling gem.

"What?" Setsuna-Krang muttered. "Who are you? You are me… but at the same time… not me. You look like…"

"Ganondorf." The armored version of Setsuna calmly flexed her hands, coming to grips with her own body. "The legendary evil that plagued the lands of Hyrule for a long time. The very same one his minions tried to summon through their own time gate. Only that his appearance seems to have merged with ours." She then looked straight at the alien brain that spoke to her from the middle of the Setsuna-robot. "And it appears you now resemble the alien Krang from that other version of Earth."

"Merged with ours? Wait a minute…" Setsuna-Krang's new brain cells were working faster than she was used to. "We used to be one being… but the power surge from the converging time lines have split us into two different creatures, now sharing the appearance of inhabitants of those worlds?"

"It seems so," Setsuna-Ganon nodded her head. "Except that it split us into three." She looked over to their right. Setsuna-Krang followed her gaze… and blinked in confusion when she saw the creature standing there.

The third Setsuna was busy feeling her face. Or… the lack of a face. Because instead of a human face, she had nothing but a skull hovering over her shoulders, surrounded by a dark cowl. "I… have no face…" Her voice sounded shrill and raspy. For some reason, she let out a short giggle. "I… I'm not a human anymore… hehehehe… none of us are!" She turned around completely, revealing her female figure, which was clad in a more skimpy armor, decorated with skulls and bones. And instead of her Garnet Rod, she was holding another staff, which was tipped with the skull of a ram.

"I am no longer Sailor Pluto, or just regular old Setsuna." For some reason, she couldn't stop giggling. "I am now… Skeletsuna! As for you two, you are…" She pointed her long, black fingernail at the other two, one after another. "Krangtsuna. And you… Gantsuna!"

The Ganondorf version of Setsuna frowned. "I do believe I shall choose my own name, thank you very much."

"But how did this happen?" Krangtsuna started thinking. The heightened intelligence of this body she was inhabiting confused her at first. So many new ideas, so many strand of thought at the same time… but after a moment, she managed to get used to it and came up with a solution. "That's it!" she shouted. She tried turning her robot to face the Gates of Time, and to her surprise, the Senshi-shaped machine obeyed her commands. "We were connected to these three beings," she realized. "Not just mentally, the energy surge also attached our strings of fate to them."

"Our what?" Ganontsuna grumbled. "Speak more coherently, you are not making any sense."

"No no, she is right," Skeletsuna grinned. "To put it more simple, the magic that filled our body… our powers as a Senshi, the Garnet Orb, the power to control time, all of it… it was drained right out of our bodies when our mind contacted those of Krang, Ganondorf and Skeletor. And instead, we received their own powers… complete with a matching body… and mannerisms, as it appears." She chuckled. "And because one body couldn't possibly contain the fates of three different creatures as powerful as this… it split into three. And here we are now."

"We lost our Senshi magic?" Ganontsuna let out in a booming voice. "That is… unacceptable!" She clenched her hand into a fist. "How are we supposed to serve our future queen like this? How can we even leave this place?"

"I think that will be the least of our problems," Krangtsuna commented. "If my calculations are correct… the surge of power was big enough to not only affect us, but also others. Our transformation items… may it be pen, wand, brooch or whatever… they are all connected. They all came from the Silver Millennium and connected our fates as guardians of our solar system and our princess." A look of worry appeared on her face, as much as that was possible with her alien grimace. "What if… what if this accident not only swapped out our powers… but also those of our fellow Senshi?"

The three Setsunas looked at each other with worry.

"We need to get to the others," Ganontsuna said. "We need to get out of here, no matter how!"

"Oh, I think leaving here will be easier than the two of you might think," Skeletsuna smirked. "Haven't you noticed? We may have lost our abilities as a Senshi, but we gained something else instead… and in the cases of you and me, some different kinds of magic who are formidable in their own right." She raised her Havoc Staff and made it glow with magic. "Together, we should be powerful enough to create a portal that leads us back home."

Ganontsuna raised her own hand and tried accessing her own magic. And then, her hands began to glow with their own, dark magic… while on the back of her hand, a single golden triangle began to glow.

'The Triforce of Power…' she realized. 'Whatever power switched my destiny with Ganondorf's also must have given me his part of the Triforce, the sacred golden relic of Hyrule…'

"We should hurry," she then said out loud. "The surge through time and space might have changed more than we think… and maybe even interfered with more worlds than just our four."

* * *

Meanwhile on Earth, in Juuban, Tokyo. The Hikawa Shrine.

Rei Hino stared down at her own body in disbelief. "What the… why do I have a tail all of a sudden? Why am I standing on four hooves? Why am I a PONY?"

She then took a look around. "And why in tarnation is my shrine suddenly surrounded by what looks like a frickin' APPLE ORCHARD?"


	2. Changed Inners

„Usagi!"

Usagi Tsukino, also known as Sailor Moon, defender of love and peace, groaned and twisted around under the covers of her bed. "Just five more minutes, mom…" she muttered.

Luna, the moon cat and personal advisor of Sailor Moon, climbed on top of her protégé's body and shoved her a couple of times with her paws. "Usagi, wake up! Something strange is going on."

"Nooooo…" the sleepy defender of love and peace whined as she pushed the insistent feline off. "Go 'way, Luna… don't wanna go to school yet."

Luna yowled as she fell of the bed. Luckily for her, cats always landed on their feet. She jumped back again. "USAGI!" she yelled into the lazy girl's ears. "GET UP!"

"YIKES!" Usagi yelped and nearly fell out of bed herself. "Luna, what's the big idea? You know it's Sunday and…" She let out a big yawn and reached up with her hands to rub her sleepy eyes.

Her big, green, scaly hands.

"Huh?" Usagi blinked, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Part of her brain still hadn't woken up yet and thought this had to be a dream. Then she was completely awake when she let out a shrill screech and threw away her covers. Revealing her still humanoid, still female-shaped body, which was nevertheless covered with green scales and a hard shell.

"LUNA!" she shouted. "I'm GREEN!"

"YES, I KNOW!" the cat shouted back. "That's what I was trying to tell you this whole time!"

"Why am I green?" Usagi wailed as she stared down at her hands with horror. "I can't be green! And why do my hands only have three fingers? WHAAAAAAAAAH! I'm a monstrosity!" She sobbed, hiding her face under her pillow. "Mamo-chan won't love me anymore!"

"Get a grip, Usagi," Luna said in her usual commanding tone. "You'll wake half the neighborhood if you keep this up."

"Who cares?" Usagi whimpered. "I want my old, beautiful, pink skin back… and my HAIR! I'm BALD, Luna! Baaaaaaaald…"

"Usagi?" The door to her room creaked open. Usagi let out another yelp as she dove back under her covers, hiding her face and body.

Shingo Tsukino, Usagi's little brother, peered into the room, sleepily rubbing his eyes. "Can you keep it down, sis? It's way to early in the morning for one of your freak-outs… some of us are trying to sleep here. I…" He blinked when he saw the giant pile of pillows, blankets and plushies his big sister had covered herself with. "WHAT are you doing there, Usagi?"

"Um… playing hide-and-seek? Trying to find my slippers? Reading Rei's mangas under the covers?" came Usagi's muffled response.

Shingo groaned. He was right, it was way too early for this. "Whatever, just keep it quiet, okay?" he mumbled. "I'm going back to bed…" He closed the door.

"That was close," Luna whispered. "You need to be more careful in situations like this."

"Okay…" Usagi muttered as she poked her green, round head back through her pillows. "But what am I going to do, Luna? I can't keep this a secret like I do with my identity as Sailor Moon. What will my family say if they find out I'm a… I'm a…" She looked down at herself. "A giant Godzilla-salamander?"

"Actually, I think you're more like a turtle," Luna said as she inspected Usagi's new body. She patted her paws against the thick shell on her backside. "See?"

"A turtle? Oh… like Gamera?"

Luna sweatdropped. "Yes. Yes, Usagi, exactly like Gamera…"

Suddenly, the communicator beeped.

"Oh, wait a minute, Luna. I think I'm getting a message from one of the girls," Usagi said. She tried pressing the correct button on the tiny device. Which turned out to be a pretty frustrating process with her unfamiliar, bulky fingers.

When she finally did it, the screen activated, revealing a completely red face. "Finally! Did you misplace your communicator, Usagi?"

"GAH!" Usagi gasped. "The devil knows my phone number!"

The red-skinned girl on the screen sighed. "Relax, it's just me… Ami. I see I'm not the only one who changed."

"Ami-chan?" Usagi wondered. "Why are you red? That's Rei's color."

"I didn't choose to look like this, okay?" Ami sighed. "Listen, Usagi… something weird is going on. Minako is with me, and… well, she changed as well. We need to meet somewhere. Can you sneak out of your house?"

"Usagi and sneaking?" Luna muttered. "Do you know who you're talking to?"

"Hey, I can be sneaky!" Usagi protested. "Just you watch me, I'll sneak out of this house like a ninja… a turtle ninja!"

"Just… make sure nobody sees you," Ami cautioned her. "Let's meet behind Rei's temple, okay? I doubt too many people will be there at this early hour. I will contact the others."

"All right, and I'll bring Chibi-Usa and Mamoru," Usagi nodded. "See you then, Ami."

She switched the communicator off and looked at Luna, who was raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"A turtle ninja?" the moon cat asked. "Really?"

"Oh, shut up…" Usagi grumbled. "As if a giant kaiju turtle that flies by shooting fire out of his shell is any less ridiculous than that…"

Luna groaned. "I just hope you won't leave as much destruction behind as Gamera…"

"Hey, that was mean!"

They got to their feet, grabbed everything they needed and left Usagi's room as noiseless as possible. While they were sneaking along the dark corridor, Usagi quietly hummed the Gamera theme to herself.

"Will you cut that out?"

"Sorry…"

* * *

In another part of town, a humanoid bat with blonde hair was climbing up the outside wall of an apartment complex.

Minako Aino looked down at her feet, not in the slightest bothered by the long way down. "These boots are amazing," she said to herself. "Fashionable, and a great climbing tool. Let's see what else we've got in this bag of tricks."

Minako started rummaging through the small pouch she was wearing on her belt. The form-fitting cat burglar outfit was smooth and comfy, gave her new bat wings enough rooms to move and was outfitted with an interesting assortment of helpful gizmos and gadgets. Even though she only had this form for a few hours, she felt right at home in this body. Using wings to fly was awesome, and she was more nimble and agile than she'd ever been before. She already found out that she had lost her power to transform into a Senshi, that was a bit troubling. But for the moment, she was thrilled to find out what else this new form had to offer.

"Oooooh, what's this?" she wondered as she took something out of the pouch. "Looks like some sort of goggles, but only for one eye? What do they do?" She put the small gadget on and fidgeted with the controls. "No way!" she gasped. "I can see things behind these walls with this! I bet I can find all sorts of hidden treasure with this… this… treasure scope!"

She giggled, but then reminder herself to focus. She wasn't here just for fun, she was here to pick up a fellow Senshi. Using her new-found tool, she managed to find out which of the many windows was the one to the apartment of her friend, Makoto Kino. Effortlessly, she opened the window and climbed inside.

"Makoto?" she shouted. "Are you there? It's me, Minako. I'm definitely not a burglar, so please don't pummel me."

"In the kitchen!" came the voice of her friend. Minako followed it to see Makoto standing at the stove, wearing her usual apron. And… she hadn't changed in the slightest?

Makoto tasted a bit of the stew she was brewing. "Hmmmm… could use a bit more spices…" She then turned her head. "Minako, how did you get in here? I didn't open the front… door?" She tilted her head in confusion. She could assume that the creature standing in front of her was her friend, as she had the same blonde hair and the red bow. But the rest… "Minako? Why are you a bat?"

The bat girl shrugged. "No idea, it just happened. I'm not the only one. Usagi turned into some sort of turtle creature and Ami has become downright freaky… oh, but please don't tell her I said that. I feel she's a bit touchy about it. But I don't get it… if all of us changed, why didn't you?"

"Oh, I did change," Makoto said. She brushed some of her brown locks out of the way to reveal that her ears had grown a bit more pointy than before. "See?"

"That's it?" Minako gaped. "I've become some sort of supernatural bat super spy with all sorts of nifty tricks, and you just turned into an elf?"

"Or at least something similar… but that's not everything," Makoto pointed out. "My clothes have changed, too. And there was this bag full of equipment and weapons… oh, and also this sword." She quickly turned down the stove's heat and showed Minako a beautiful longsword that was lying on top of a chair. The blue hilt was beautifully crafted with several ornaments, while the blade was balanced, straight and sharp, giving off a soft glow of blue energy. The whole sword was, in short, a masterpiece.

"This appeared in place of my transformation wand," Makoto explained. "I also got a shield. I was planning to inform you guys later today… I just didn't assume something similar would have happened to you."

"Losing your Senshi magic to a fancy sword and a pair of pointy elf ears didn't seem important enough to call us right away?" Minako asked with a frown. "Ami tried to contact you, you know? Didn't you hear your communicator?"

"To be honest, no." Makoto giggled sheepishly. "When I'm trying new recipes, I tend to block out everything else."

"That must be some great recipe that you started cooking this early in the morning," the bat muttered. "What were you making, anyway?"

"A new type of curry," Makoto explained. "I just had the idea after I found this in one of my bags." She handed Minako a small glass bottle.

Minako read the label. "Goron Spice? Never heard of that before."

"Neither have I, but it sounds good," Makoto smiled. "I tried adding some meat and mushrooms, and it's coming along nicely."

Minako sighed. "All right, finish up and put on those new clothes of yours. We're having a meeting at the Hikawa Temple." She thought about it for a moment. "And bring some of that curry along, hearing you talk about it has made me hungry."

The elf-eared girl grinned. "I knew it would."

* * *

Usagi sniffled. "Are you sure, Mamo-chan?"

Mamoru Chiba, also known as Tuxedo Mask, masked ally of Sailor Moon and also her boyfriend, sighed. "Usako… I already told you. I love you no matter what you look like. And if all of you have transformed, there's nothing you could have done about it."

She looked up at him. "Really? So you don't mind the green scales or the three fingers or…"

"Well…" Mamoru scratched his head. "I won't lie, it is pretty weird and unusual… and we should try and reverse this as soon as possible…"

"I knew it!" Usagi wailed. "You think I'm ugly!"

He paled, instantly realizing that he made a mistake. "No no no no, you're not ugly! You're… um… beautiful and… um… the scales go really well with your… your shell?"

Luna rolled her eyes as she walked alongside them. "Stop freaking out already, Usagi. You're drawing attention to yourself."

"S-s-sorry…" Usagi muttered, blowing her nose with a huge handkerchief. "Thanks for giving me this trench coat, Mamo-chan… it's a much better disguise than what I had before."

Luna looked around them, as they walked through the neighborhood of Juuban. The people that were already up did throw them a couple of confused looks when they saw Usagi's relatively huge frame (compared to Mamoru's human form), most of it only shielded from their eyes by an extremely long and wide trench coat, as well as a hat with a wide brim. "Yes," she muttered sarcastically. "You will draw no attention at all like this."

"Don't mention it," Mamoru smiled. "What was I going to do, leave you standing outside in nothing but your torn pajamas and a blanket?"

"Well, nothing fit me anymore," Usagi sighed. "And I sooo wanted to impress you with that new blouse I bought the other day."

"What concerns me more…" Luna interjected. "Where's Chibiusa? She should have been back at your place, Usagi. But she was nowhere to be found, not in her room or anywhere."

"Yeah, that is pretty strange," Usagi nodded. "All we found were her abandoned clothes and those wheel tracks all across her room. And her window was open."

"I'm worried," Mamoru said. "If she transformed like the rest of you guys, she must have freaked out quite a bit. She's still young, I hope she doesn't panic…"

"That spore and panic?" Usagi crossed her arms and huffed. "Yeah, as if! Serves her right for eating my ice cream the other day."

Luna sighed. "Usagi… your mother gave her the ice cream because you wouldn't come home from the arcade."

"So?" Usagi pouted. "It still was mine! And if we find her I will give her a piece of my mind and… WHOAH!" A sudden crash made Luna and Mamoru stop.

"Usagi?" Mamoru asked her. "What happened?"

"I don't knoooow!" the turtle girl shouted, helplessly flailing her arms as she was lying on her back. "I was just minding my own business, when suddenly, I slipped! Help me get up."

As Mamoru helped his shelled girlfriend get back to her feet, Luna inspected the banana peel lying on the ground. "Strange, this wasn't here a moment ago, I'm sure of it," she muttered. "Looks like there's a prankster hanging around."

High above them, hidden beneath a cloud, a smaller, but also reptilian figure peered down at them. The young turtle girl had yellow scales, a thick green shell with tiny spikes, and fluffy, pink hair atop of her head. The small vehicle she was sitting in looked more or less like a big cup with no handle. Instead, there was a cat face (with face markings like a clown) on its front and a small propeller underneath that kept it in the air.

"That's for trying to eat MY ice cream, meatball head!" Small Lady Chibiusa of Crystal Tokyo snickered as she watched Usagi getting back to her feet down below. "Well, you don't exactly have your meatball hair anymore... and I have mine, for some reason. But who cares? This is fun!"

For some reason, she hadn't felt panic or worry at all when she had first noticed her new form. It was somehow different from Usagi's turtle form, and not just because she was younger. She had tiny claws at her hands and feet and a pair of stubby horns. And then there was the fact that her Luna-P had turned into this strange vehicle.

"You're much better like this, Luna-P," she grinned, hugging her new toy. "You can fly, extend some wheels so we can drive on the ground, there's a seemingly endless supply of banana peels down here… oh, and also these funny small turtle robot things. I can't wait to try those out!"

Chibiusa giggled to herself as she turned her Luna-P clown car around and steered it in the direction where she knew the household of the Outer Senshi to be.

"Let's see what Hotaru-chan is up to. I wanna show this to her… and I can't wait to see what she has turned into. This is going to be so much fun!"

* * *

Grandpa Hino stood next to his temple, looking at the fine specimen of an apple tree in front of him. It was a tall tree, with ripe and juicy red fruits hanging from the branches. Under normal circumstances, the old priest wouldn't have minded having a nice tree such as this one growing in his yard. But when he looked around…

"One tree is more than enough, but an entire yard of these things?" he grumbled. "This is a sacred shrine to the gods, not a farm! And who's supposed to farm all these apples? My poor back isn't getting any younger…"

Yuichiro, his shrine apprentice, stood next to him. "I mean… I could do it if you wanted. Would be a nice distraction to the rest of my chores…"

"Are you kidding?" Grandpa Hino snapped. "You're already lazing around far too often with just your regular chores. And who's going to eat all of these apples? You? Me?"

Yuichiro scratched his head. "Well… we could sell them to the visitors. Some nice apples, maybe a bit of apple jam or apple juice… would attract more visitors too, don't you think?"

Grandpa Hino had to think about that last one. More visitors would mean more money for the donation box. It would also mean… more cute, young girls would come here…

"I guess…" he muttered. "As long as these trees are here, we might as well just use them. Maybe they are a gift from the gods." He pointed at Yuichiro. "But you will be the one who deals with collecting these apples and sealing them to the visitors. Got it?"

The young man sighed. "Eeyup. I got it… Hm?" He looked down at his feet. "Now what could this be?"

The old priest took a look as well. On the ground, near the apple trees, was a track of small footprints… not from a human or a pawed critter like a dog or a fox… no, those looked more like… hooves?

"What in the world?" Grandpa murmured, scratching his bald head. "I've heard of youkai visiting shrines, becoming their guardians even… but this is the first time I've heard of a guardian youkai that resembles a small pony. Maybe Rei knows what's going on… Where is that girl, anyway?"

"I… think she's in her room?" Yuichiro took a guess.

Neither of them noticed the trench coat-wearing figure sneaking behind their backs, followed by a young man and a cat. Or the small bat creature soaring above their heads. Or the young woman with the elf ears following her.

* * *

Rei Hino, also known as Sailor Mars and the shrine maiden of the Hikawa Shrine, took another look in her mirror. Her eyes still somewhat like they used to. She also had her flowing, long, black hair. But the rest of her body was completely alien to her. And at the same time… strangely familiar.

Her pony body was covered with red fur, from her hooves up to the cute snout in her face. She had a long tail the same color as her mane. And on her backside, on her haunches, was the small picture of a talisman, the same ones she used when sealing evil spirits.

"What in the hay am I even supposed to be?" she muttered. She grimaced in annoyance. "And what's with this country accent I have all of a sudden? I'm not from Osaka…"

A couple of soft knocks on her door made her jump in surprise. Alarmed, she ran to the door, still amazing herself how well she was able to move on four legs. "Who's there?" she asked through the door.

"It's me, Usagi," came the voice of her friend through the door. "Mamoru, Luna, Minako and Makoto are here as well. Quick, let us in!"

Rei opened the door and her eyes widened when she looked at the strange assortment of creatures that came in. Mamoru and Luna were the only ones that looked normal.

"Wait, I'm here as well." Shortly before Rei closed the door again, the white moon cat Artemis darted into the room. He took a few deep breaths. "Phew, I made it. Minako, did you have to leave me behind like that? I had to run all the way from your parents' house."

"I'm not as tall as I used to be," the bat girl shrugged. "You would have been too heavy to carry and I still needed to get to Makoto's place. Besides, after all these tuna rolls, you could use a bit of exercise."

Meanwhile, Rei was busy looking at Usagi. Then she smirked. "Y'know? Green really isn't your color."

"I know," Usagi sniffled. "At least you are red, that's really your color. AND you got to keep your hair… I'm a bit jealous now."

Rei started thinking. "Hold that thought." She walked over to her wardrobe and searched for a bit. It was difficult to do with her hooves, but she finally found what she was looking for. A bright yellow bandana, which she gave to her friend. "Here. Take this and tie it into two knots behind your head. It should be long enough to resemble your usual hairstyle afterwards."

Usagi took the bandana and smiled at her with gratitude. "Thank you, Rei-chan!" And she gave the ponified shrine maiden a big hug.

Rei gasped and struggled against the grip of the muscular turtle girl. "Gack! Dagnabbit, watch it with that new strength of yours, Usagi. I'm not one of your little plushies, ya got me?"

Usagi giggled. "You're still cute."

"Are you two quite finished?" Luna sighed. "Because we need to talk about this disaster. You all lost your Senshi powers, can't transform any more… not to mention that looking like this, Usagi, Minako and Rei probably won't be able to act as a normal member of human society anymore."

"Eh, it's not too bad," Minako shrugged. "Maybe we can hide in the sewers, live as Juuban's hidden super heroes…"

"You're reading too many American comics, Minako," Makoto groaned. "Besides, we pretty much did that already when we first became Sailor Senshi. Aside from the living in the sewers part."

"But why did we change and Mamoru didn't?" Usagi wondered. "You still can become Tuxedo Mask, right?"

Mamoru nodded. "Yes, I tried that as soon as I heard about what happened to you guys. And even though I draw my powers from Earth, I'm not quite the same as a Senshi. That's probably why this, whatever it is, only affects you girls. I'm not quite sure why, though. Maybe Ami can come up with an explanation. Or maybe Setsuna."

"Where is Ami, anyway?" Rei asked. "She was the one who contacted everypony… I mean… everyone, wasn't she?"

"After contacting the others, she told me to get Makoto, since we didn't get a reply from her," Minako explained. "She told me to meet her here afterwards."

"Sorry about that…" Makoto grinned sheepishly. "But… at least we have this new curry to try out." She pulled several servings of curry out of her bag, complete with bowls and chopsticks… somehow her bag was large enough to hold all these things alongside all the tools and the equipment that had been in there to begin with.

"Oh, Mako-chan, that looks yummy!" Usagi licked her lips. "Can I have some?"

"Not the time, Usako," Mamoru told her as gently as he could. "Besides, we still need to wait for Ami."

"Awww…" Usagi pouted. It looked cute, even though she was now the tallest of the assembled friends and easily the most muscular one. The odango-shaped, yellow bandana certainly helped.

But then, someone tapped against the window of Rei's room. They all looked… and saw the same red face they had seen through the communicator. Except it was hanging upside down.

Rei opened the window. "Ami? What in tarnation are ya doing?"

"I was hiding on top of the roof," Ami said. "My new body wasn't exactly made for sneaking… but it's good for climbing. Can I come in?"

Rei nodded and Ami climbed inside. Her friends had to make sure not to stare at her too much… but the Senshi of Mercury had easily the most changes being done to her body. It was big… and very strange. Her upper body mostly looked like that of a regular, human girl... except that all of her skin was a bright red. Most of her head and face remained unchanged as well. Her ears were pointy, similar to Makoto, and her eyes had slitted pupils, like those of a cat. She still had all of her regular, dark blue hair.

Her arms were a bit stranger. The left one seemed normal enough, even though it had a couple of small ridges on its underside. The right arm, however, ended in a three-fingered hand with deadly claws. But the most extreme change was everything from below her waist. Her body continued to an almost centaur-like appendage, except that it resembled an insect more like a horse. Four legs were coming down from the elongated body, down to the ground. The two front legs looked like those of a human, while the back pair ended in claws as well. The entire body ended in a long lizard tail that was red on top and green underneath.

The most creepy thing was that Ami seemed to move naturally in this weird form, as if she had used it all her life. Of course, all the other girls had the same feeling with their new forms, but those were at least mostly human-like. When Ami crawled through the window, she made the impression of a weird, humanoid centipede.

"A… Ami-chan?" Usagi stuttered and pointed a finger at her friend. "You… you are…"

"I know, I know," the smart girl of the group sighed. "I wasn't able to put on a full set of clothes. I just couldn't find any pants or skirts that fit my new body. At least I'm able to put on a shirt…"

"I don't think that's what everyone is focusing on, Ami…" Artemis sweatdropped.

Luna bopped her fellow moon cat on the head with her paw. "Stop it! Be a bit more sensitive, she can't help that she now looks like this. Neither of them can. We need to find a solution to this, and fast!"

"I agree, y'all," Rei nodded. "Ami? Do you have any idea what happened? Or what we can do about it?"

"To be honest, I'm not completely sure either," the six-limbed girl shrugged. "Nothing like this has ever happened before. Some of our enemies managed to transform us in some way, but never to this degree."

"Oh, like when we were all turned back into little kids?" Minako nodded. "Yeah, I remember that."

"Right," Ami nodded. "This is quite a bit more extreme. And, as expected, it messes with our ability to power up and use our magic attacks. Even worse, our transformation items seem to have disappeared. If some evil forces attack, I'm not sure our new abilities will be enough to stop them. And more importantly, what this would mean for our future. I doubt Setsuna or any of you would be happy with a Crystal Tokyo whose queen and guardians are a bunch of weird, half-human creatures. Or…" She looked down at herself. "Maybe even only quarter-human…"

"We should talk to Setsuna," Luna said. "She knows more about Senshi history and their powers than any of us. Even Artemis' and my memories of the moon kingdom aren't what they used to be. If any of us has an answer, I'm sure it's Sailor Pluto."

"Has anyone managed to contact the Outer Senshi already?" Makoto asked. "And besides, where is Chibiusa? She's from the future… wouldn't it be important to know how all of this has affected her?"

"We couldn't find her anywhere," Usagi sighed. "But it looks like she has changed like the rest of us… we just don't know into what."

"As for the Outer Senshi, I couldn't contact them either," Ami explained. "Since I already sent Minako to Makoto, I sent myself there to check on them. If everything went well, I should be on my way back by now."

"Wait, I didn't get that last part…" Usagi said. "You sent… yourself there? But… you're here, and not there. So how…?"

"Ami, you haven't told them about that part of your transformation yet," Minako sighed. "You guys think what she looks like now is weird? You haven't seen the weirdest part yet…"

Another knock at the window interrupted the conversation. Rei opened again and… an even stranger creature entered the room. It looked like another version of Ami's head, with two more arms attached two it, a human one and a clawed one. Using these two arms, the small Ami-thing crawled across the floor like something out of alien and clambered up the body of the taller Ami-creature, where it whispered something into her ear.

"What is THAT thing?" Luna screeched. She tried very hard to keep her composure, but this view was too much for her.

"Oh?" Ami looked over to her. "Oh, that's just another part of me. I just sent that head and the arms over to Setsuna's place to see what's wrong with them. Apparently, I didn't need to worry at all. Someone just took their communicators and…"

"But how are you doing that?" Luna hissed. "That… that should be scientifically possible! Are you controlling it? Are you using a remote control? Is it a magical construct? What is it?"

"Now who's being insensitive?" Artemis muttered.

"Those are also part of my body," Ami explained. "All of these body parts are different modules, you see? I can easily take them apart and control them with my mind. I think it's because this body is a biomechanical creation. So I'm still a living being, but at the same time, I have the same advantages of a machine. For example, I can do this…" And with a single move, Ami used her left arm to pull her right arm right out of its socket.

Usagi just let out a squeak and fainted on the spot. The rest of her friends were almost as shell-shocked as they watched with horror when Ami removed the more human-like arm of the smaller Ami-creature and attached it to her bigger body, in place of the one she just removed. "See?" she said, as nonchalantly as a mechanic who explained the new functions of a car. "I can replace any of my limbs and body parts any time I want and remodel myself to any situation, easy as that. Should definitely come in handy, don't you agree?" When she got no response, she looked at her friends. "What… what's the matter?"

"Ami?" Makoto swallowed. "That was the scariest stuff I've seen in my life."

"I think I'll never get used to this…" Minako retched. "I feel like dropping some guano…"

"HEY! Not in my room like some kinda varmint, ya hear me?" Rei shouted, even though she was clearly as shook by the experience as the others.

Ami chuckled nervously. "Um, maybe… I should have warned you guys in advance?"


	3. Changed Outers

At first, it seemed to be a pretty normal Sunday morning for Haruka Tenoh, also known as Sailor Uranus, one of the Outer Senshi. She woke up earlier than her housemates, let out a big yawn and for a while, listened to the soft snores coming from under the covers next to her.

Haruka couldn't help but smile. "Sleep a little longer, Michiru…" she murmured as she got out of bed. "You've earned it."

As she went into the kitchen, she thought of the late night performance her significant other, Michiru Kaiou, also known as Sailor Neptune, had done with her violin. Her girlfriend did constantly surprise and amaze her with how much passion she could show for her art and everything in her life.

"Let me make a great breakfast for a great artist," Haruka said to herself. "But first, some coffee."

She was about to grab the coffee pot, but something unexpected happened: The object disappeared. It happened so fast that Haruka, the queen of speed and racing, almost didn't realize what happened: The coffee pot's color turned pitch black for a short moment, then it dissolved into a swarm of tiny, black particles that swirled up into the air and dissolved.

"What the…?" the Senshi of Uranus gasped. She scratched her head. Coffee pots didn't just disappear into thin air. She then noticed something else that was even stranger. Her usually short, sandy blonde hair was falling over her shoulders, long and wavy. It must have been ages ago she last had hair this long. "It definitely was short when I went to bed," she muttered. "I've heard of hair cutting pranks, but a hair growing prank? That's certainly new. I wonder…"

She was unable to finish her thoughts, because the coffee reappeared. Not the whole pot, just the coffee. It appeared directly over her head, seemed to hover there for a split second and then… gravity set in and cause it to splash all over her newly grown hair. And somebody must have heated it up, since it was boiling hot.

"YAAAAAAAAAAH! Haruka screeched. "Hot, hot, hot!" She dashed to the sink and quickly splashed some cold water into her face. She took a deep breath and looked around in confusion. The now empty pot was standing behind her, on the table.

"What in the world is going on here?" she wondered. For a moment, she thought she heard faint giggling coming from two voices, right outside the kitchen window.

Then she heard a loud yell coming from the bedroom, which also sounded like the roar of some sort of wild animal. And everything else became unimportant. "Michiru!" As fast as she could, the coffee- and water-drenched girl ran out of the kitchen.

A pair of faces peered into the kitchen from outside. They belonged to a couple of young girls hovering in mid-air. The first one resembled a turtle with pink hair, riding some sort of flying cat-clown vehicle. The second one was even smaller, a female imp whose skin was covered with patterns of grey and black. She had long, pointy ears and purple hair. The most striking thing was a strange-looking big helmet sitting on top of her head.

"That was great, Hotaru-chan!" Chibiusa gave her friend a big, toothy grin. "Did you see the look on her face? She was so confused!"

Hotaru Tomoe, also known as Sailor Saturn, and foster child of the Outer Senshi household, let out a small giggle. "Thanks. I know I should be more worried because we lost our Senshi powers, but… these new powers are amazing, too. She did a little twirl in mid-air and reached into Chibiusa's Luna-P clown car, taking out a banana. She let the banana float in mid-air and used her new dark magic to make its peel disappear in a swarm of twilight particles. "And pranking people is fun, too. I feel so… mischievous in this form."

Chibiusa laughed as she gave her imp friend a hug. "This is the greatest fun we've ever had! I can't wait to pull some more prank on Usagi. But first, tell me… what prank did you pull on Michiru? It sounded like it gave her quite the scare."

"Hmmmm?" Hotaru took a bite of the banana, chewing it down. "What do you mean? I didn't prank her."

The two tiny terrors climbed into the window and looked to where Haruka had run off to. "You don't suppose… something bad happened to her? Like… maybe she was changed, but… it was a terrible change?"

For the first time this day, the two tricksters started feeling worry. "Oh no… Michiru-mama!" Hotaru shouted. "We should go and see if she's okay."

"Oh, you're not going anywhere," a booming voice behind them said. Chibiusa and Hotaru swallowed nervously and slowly turned around. Towering above them was the armor-clad form of Ganontsuna, cape blowing behind her as she glared down at the two troublemakers.

"Oh… h-h-hi there, Puu…" Chibiusa grinned. "N-nice seeing you here…"

"You, um… you're looking great," Hotaru added with a small nervous giggle. "Love the armor…"

Ganontsuna crossed her arms. "You little pranksters will stay here for now, get a mop and clean up the mess you caused." She pointed down at the coffee stains on the floor. "Haruka can take care of Michiru. And after that, we all have very important things to discuss. And there will be no more pranks!" She dangerously narrowed her eyes. "Am I making myself clear?"

"Y-y-y-yes, Setsuna-mama!" Hotaru squeaked. "C-crystal Tokyo clear!"

* * *

In the meantime, Haruka had hurried back into the bedroom where Michiru had apparently woken up, but was still huddled under the covers.

"Michiru!" Haruka said. "What was that? I heard you scream… was there a monster attack?"

"Ha… haruka…" Michiru said. "Please, get out of here… don't look…"

"There's no monster scary enough to keep me from protecting you or Hotaru-chan!" Haruka shouted. "Where is that thing?" She quickly looked around the room, until her eyes fell on a long, monstrous appendage covered with thick, green scales, undoubtedly belonging to whatever beast was threatening Michiru. And it looked it was crawling into the bed at this very moment!

"Don't you hide from me, coward!" Haruka yelled, summoning her sword. "Come out of there and face me, monster! Space Sword Blaster!"

She waited for her blade to shoot its usual energy attack at the creature… but nothing happened. "What? Space Sword Blaster, I said! Why isn't it working?" She looked closer at her sword. "Wait a minute… this isn't my sword! What is this?"

The sword she was looking at in confusion was quite an artful display of craftsmanship, and whoever made it had to be quite the skilled blacksmith. But it wasn't Sailor Uranus' space sword, it was something different. The blade was straight instead of curved, it was much longer and instead of the various gems her old sword had crafted in its blade, this sword only had one single, large gem that was embedded in its hilt.

"Well, any sword will do I guess," Haruka grumbled. "Whatever happened to my space sword talisman, I'll find out later. For now, I'll deal with you creep."

"Oh, shut up already, Haruka," Michiru growled as she removed the covers. "Your yelling is giving me a headache."

Haruka blinked in surprise as she gazed down at the creature that spoke to her in Michiru's voice, yet with a slightly deeper, growling undertone. The best way to describe her would be as a humanoid alligator woman. She had Michiru's shapely legs, but there was no trace of her luxurious, wavy, turquoise hair. All she was dressed in were the scraps of Michiru's sleeping gown… and the long, scaly appendage Haruka had planned to attack with her sword, was in fact her long tail.

"Mi… Michiru?" Haruka stuttered. "Is that you?"

The alligator woman groaned. "Yes, it's me. I know I'm not as beautiful as you remember me, but I promise I won't eat you, so could you finally put down that sword?"

Embarrassed, Haruka lowered her weapon. "S-sorry about that… I thought you were in danger." Hesitantly, she stepped closer towards her reptilian girlfriend. "What happened here? Were you attacked? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm not hurt…" Michiru used her arms to pull her long tail closer to herself, hugging the new limb a bit bashfully. "Whatever did this to us, it happened overnight. I woke up like this. Now can you pleas stop staring? I'm a little ashamed…"

Now that she had a reason to calm down, Haruka looked at her girlfriend softly. "You have no reason to be ashamed," she said as she sat down next to her. "Scales or no scales, you are still the same beautiful, talented woman I know and love." And she gave Michiru a small kiss on the tip of her snout.

Michiru smiled at the love shown to her. An alligator's mouth was not made for smiling though, so she quickly closed it again, so she wouldn't accidentally bite her fellow Senshi's head off. "You can be so sweet if you want to. Even though I doubt I can play my violin with these claws…" She looked at her hands and sighed. "I love your new hair, by the way. Looks very elegant."

"Glad at least you like it," Haruka grumbled. "I was thinking of cutting it, but I want to find my own sword first."

"I don't think I can call my mirror either," Michiru said. "And I don't think we'll be able to transform into Senshi mode. It's like we lost our powers."

"If we don't have our powers, then why do I have this other sword?" Haruka asked.

"Oh, isn't it obvious? It isn't your sword."

Both Haruka and Michiru jumped at the voice and turned around to see Skeletsuna standing right next to them. "Who are you?" Haruka's hand nervously moved towards her sword.

"Wait, Haruka…" Michiru touched her girlfriend's shoulder to calm her down. "Is that you, Setsuna?" she asked the skull-faced woman.

"In a way. But I'm not the only me around anymore," Skeletsuna said, looking at her two teammates and co-inhabitants. "I'll explain everything. As long as you aren't scared of me." She chuckled a bit and pointed at Haruka's new sword. "This weapon is known as the Sword of Protection. The original wielder is a warrior-woman known as She-Ra, from the faraway world of Etheria. I've seen it through the Gates of Time."

"What? Why do I have someone else's sword?" Haruka wondered. "And where's my own?"

"Can't you guess?" Skeletsuna tilted her head slightly. "You have her sword, as well as her powers. So it would be logical to assume that your powers as a Senshi, as well as your space sword, were given to her in exchange."

"And what about me?" Michiru asked. "Why do I look like a… crocodile? Is there another warrior who normally looks like this?"

"There is, even though we had to do a bit of research on that one," Skeletsuna said. "His home world is not as… renowned as the ones our two 'exchange partners' hail from." She grinned at Haruka. "But we found out that it is quite similar to our version of Earth, except that quite a lot of alien technology found its way there. Amongst other things, a potent mutagen that can change humans or animals into a mixture of both. We found out that the creature who you swapped powers with is a mutant alligator known as 'Leatherhead'."

"Well, that is a charming name for sure," Michiru grumbled. "Couldn't it have been a mutant seagull? Or a dolphin?"

"And how did all of this happen?" Haruka asked. "Why did we switch powers and appearances with seemingly random people from completely different worlds?"

"That is quite a bit of a story," Skeletsuna said. "I do believe the other Senshi are on their way here. We shall discuss everything as soon as they arrive."

"In the meantime, we can have some breakfast," said the deep voice of Ganontsuna as she stepped into the bedroom. "These little ones have finished cleaning up the mess from their prank." And she pushed Chibiusa and Hotaru forward.

"Um, h-hello, Michiru-mama, Haruka-papa…" Hotaru sheepishly waved at her foster parents. "Sorry about the coffee… no harm done, right?"

Michiru looked down at the little imp that was her adoptive daughter, then at the two versions of Setsuna that were currently present in her bedroom, then at her own alligator tail. She let out a deep sigh. "This is a lot to take in," she said. "A lot."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Inner Senshi, alongside Luna, Artemis and Mamoru, were on their way through the streets of Juuban. Whenever they were passing other people, they were given confused glances.

"Ow! Ami, watch where you're trotting! That was my tail you just stepped on."

"I'm sorry, Rei," Ami said. "I'm still having trouble controlling all those limbs. And that third leg on the right still seems to have a mind of its own."

"Didn't you say you could easily detach any of your limbs?" Makoto asked. "Why don't you just walk using two of them like you're used to?"

"And where would I put them?" Ami asked back. "I don't want to leave any parts of this body behind where anybody could find them. I could make a second body with the spare parts that walks around on its own, but… controlling the smaller version of me at the same time was pretty confusing on its own. I don't know if I could easily control two bigger bodies at the same time."

"It's not too much farther, we're almost there," Luna said. "Just make sure not to get spotted."

"I should have brought another blanket, so Ami and I didn't have to share this one," Rei muttered. The two multi-legged members of the team were huddled together under one big blanket draped over their bodies as a disguise. Unlike Usagi, they couldn't exactly disguise themselves as humans, but at least nobody could see what they really looked like.

"I'm not sure why you think you need to disguise yourself at all," Minako told Rei. The blonde bat was wearing an oversized jacket to hide her wings, a knit cap to hide her ears and a huge pair of sunglasses. "You're just a cute little pony, aren't you? Maybe you could act as our mascot?"

"One more joke like that, and ya'll get a hoof where the sun don't shine, bat girl!" Rei angrily said, giving Minako a very horse-like snort. "Besides, I've never seen ponies that have red fur and an ofuda on their flank."

"I'd be careful if I were you, Mina," Artemis smirked. "You're walking awfully close to Rei's hind legs, and those hooves looked like they can kick down an entire tree."

Minako chuckled. "I'd like to see Miss Horse Breath kick a target that flies."

"I will if you keep this up!" Rei snapped.

"Guys, cut it out," Usagi said sternly. "We already have a huge problem on our hands. I don't want to see you fight on top of it."

"Wow…" Luna was amazed. "Usagi is the voice of reason for once? Color me impressed."

"I just want everyone to get along while we're like this," Usagi sighed. "We can't exactly get back home as long as we're like this. We can't exactly tell our families that we've turned into… some strange creatures. Then we could as well tell them we're the Sailor Senshi. And we can't hide at Rei's shrine forever, her grandpa and Yuichiro will notice."

Mamoru hugged his girlfriend for comfort. "You know I would offer you my place in a heartbeat," he said. "But I doubt you'd all fit in there at once."

"Same goes for my apartment," Makoto nodded. "It's just big enough for me. I could let one of you stay for a couple of nights, but that's it."

"And my new body is probably too big to fit anywhere," Ami sighed. "Even if I took it apart."

"We have to reverse this," Usagi said in a serious voice. It was a voice the others rarely heard from her, but when they did, it usually showed them why she was their princess and the future queen of Crystal Tokyo, and a leader they were willing to follow anywhere. "We need to talk to Setsuna and hope she has some answers for us."

* * *

A little while later, all the Senshi were sitting together in the Outers home, curiously eyeing each others new forms. It didn't get this crowded very often, so for most of them, it felt pretty cramped.

Ami even detached most of her arms and legs, so she actually went back to looking more or less like a normal human being… a monstrous, red-skinned human being with sharp fangs and pointy ears, but still a human being. The remaining arms, legs, one head and even parts of her lower torso were stored in the Outers' bedroom, for the time being. Haruka felt a bit creeped out by the pile of body parts in her room, understandably, but had enough tact not to object.

At the moment, the biggest person in the room was actually Michiru. Her body mass had increased enormously, even more so than Usagi's. She felt like a super-heavyweight bodybuilder, capable of lifting the entire couch. She didn't like it one bit. She awkwardly sat in one corner of the room and curled her tail around herself.

Hotaru floated up to her scaly shoulder and patted it comfortingly. Seeing her Michiru-mama in distress like this really put a damper on her mischievousness and willingness to perform pranks.

Chibiusa, on the other hand, cowered under the stern glare of her future mother and father. She still didn't feel very bad about her earlier prank, but it bothered her that Usagi was now this much bigger than her, even though they were both turtles.

"And where did you park that flying contraption of yours?" Usagi finally asked.

"Outside…" Chibiusa muttered. "Puu gave me something to cover it up. It appears I can't just make it disappear like I used to, back when it was just Luna-P."

Mamoru shook his head. "I don't even begin to understand why anyone would teach a young child like this to drive such a dangerous vehicle. Not to mention all those weapons it's equipped with. Whoever you switched powers with, I'd like to meet that child's father and give him a stern talking to."

* * *

Far away in another world, sitting on his throne in his castle within the Koopa Kingdom, King Bowser Koopa suddenly felt the sudden urge to sneeze.

His son Iggy Koopa handed him a tissue. "Bless you, King Dad!"

The king of the koopas blew his nose. "Thank you, Iggy."

"You're welcome. Now, about that new, bigger chain chomp kennel you promised me…"

* * *

Meanwhile, the two Setsunas had finished everything that happened at the Gates of Time to their teammates.

Minako scratched one of her oversized ears. "So… there are all these countless, huge worlds out there that you can watch all the time, but are never allowed to make contact with?"

"Not without a good reason, yes," Ganontsuna nodded. "All I wanted to do was to contact another guardian of time to reassure that our world would not be affected. Turns out, trying to make contact caused a chain reaction that did exactly what I had hoped to prevent. Now, our third self is still busy guarding the gates. She is busy observing any change that has happened to these other worlds. As soon as she learns more, she will contact us."

"That third Setsuna… she now resembles a resident of that world where my 'switching partner' also comes from, right?"

"As well as Usagi's," Skeletsuna confirmed. "In addition to this world, which we have decided to call 'Mutant World'…"

"Not a very creative name if you ask me…" Artemis muttered.

Skeletsuna continued without even acknowledging the moon cat's interruption. "…there are also several others. I have gained my powers from the planet Eternia, while Haruka and Ami's partners inhabit the planet Etheria. These two planets seem to be bonded together somehow, in history as well as in destiny."

"Please don't start talking about destiny and just get on with it," Haruka groaned. "My head hurts enough from all this complicated stuff."

"Makoto, Hotaru and I were switched with inhabitants from the world known as Hyrule," Ganontsuna continued to explain. "The rest of you have all swapped with people from other, seemingly random worlds that we didn't even connect with. Our theory is that the sudden power surge was so strong that little 'sparks' of it even affected worlds that were not directly connected to their interwoven time streams."

"And what are those world called?" Ami asked. She was taking notes, clearly intrigued by all these unfamiliar worlds and their inhabitants.

"Small Lady's new power comes from a planet simply known as 'Mushroom World'. Minako's stems from 'Mobius'. And Rei's is from a place called 'Equestria'."

"Equestria?" Rei rolled her eyes. "Gimme a break… why not call it 'Horseland' or 'Ponyville'?" She noticed Ganontsuna looking at her. "What?"

The armored woman sighed. "Never mind… what's more important now is that we need to do. We need to form teams to visit each of the worlds, locate the people we switched with, and try to reverse the whole process."

"How are you so sure that will work?" Usagi asked.

"Because Senshi magic is normally tied to a person's fate," Ganontsuna said. "You were destined to become Sailor Moon, since you were the reincarnation of the princess of the moon kingdom. For the same reason, we became your guardians. But now, it was forcefully ripped out of our bodies and replaced with something else. Now the Senshi magic is situated far, far away, on different worlds and planets, where it can't get back to us. But I'm sure that if we can get into contact with those holding our magic, we should be able to easily swap them back. Assuming the other person agrees to the switch as well."

"That's not very comforting…" Michiru sighed. "Who would want to be a reptilian monstrosity and give up being a normal human being, yet alone one with the powers of a magical warrior?"

"I was thinking about that as well," Ami interjected. "Do these other beings only get control of our magical attacks? Or did they transform in some other way, too? I can only assume they have become human, since most of us are now something else. Right?"

"That's very astute, Ami," Skeletsuna said. "They most definitely will have changed in some way. Becoming human is the most logical conclusion, but just as we adapted part of our switch partners' looks and personality, so could they. So they didn't just get magical powers, they also were transformed from whatever they've been before, into pretty, planet-guarding magical Senshi girls."

"Wait a minute…" Rei frowned. "They turned into girls?"

"Well, Senshi can only really be female, so yes. Unless they've been female before, they would have to be girls to even accept the powers of a Sailor Senshi."

* * *

Several hours ago, back on Hyrule…

A sudden shockwave emanated from the time gate, knocking Zant, Ghirahim, Cia and Lana off their feet. The entire Temple of Time started to shake and at certain spots, the ancient walls even crumbled, more so than before.

When the dust started to settle, Zant clambered back to his feet, still feeling a bit dazed. "Wh-what happened?" he muttered.

Ghirahim stood up as well, his gaze fixated on the now glowing portal. "Look…" he said with awe in his voice. "The ritual has worked… the gate has opened… he is coming back to us!"

"Our lord and master…" Zant muttered and slowly approached the gate. Behind the cloud of dust still in the air and the glow of the magic, a dark silhouette was visible as it came walking through the portal…

"Is it… is it actually him?" Lana whispered with horror. "The king of evil… Ganondorf…"

But then the vision became clearer… and everyone let out a confused "Huh?"

The person standing in front of them… was not the imposing warlord they were expecting. It was a Gerudo, yes, and it had long, fiery red hair… but instead of a menacing, muscular man dressed in an imposing suit of armor… there was only a young girl, only just on the brink of adulthood, dressed in a very simple garment only the most young an inexperienced Gerudo females would wear. You could as well call it a 'school girl uniform' for Gerudos.

The young woman looked down at herself, first with confusion, then with anger… and then she directed her wrathful gaze at the two servants of evil standing right in front of her.

"Ghirahim… Zant… would you care to explain to me… how your ritual turned out to be such a COLOSSAL FAILURE?"

"M-m-m-master?" Ghirahim gasped. "Is that… is that really you?"

With a yell of fury, the freshly reborn king of evil… or princess of evil, rather… unleashed a powerful sphere of magical energy, which flew through the air, hit the demon lord right in the center of his body and slammed him into the closest wall.

Zant swallowed nervously, suspecting that he would be next. "Oh yes… that is, unmistakably, the temper of our Lord Ganondorf…"


	4. Changed Monsters

It took Ghirahim and Zant a while to calm their female master down. While they were doing that, Cia and Lana were standing together in one corner of the temple, whispering to each other. But they made no attempt to escape.

Finally, Ganondorf gave the command to leave. His minions grabbed the two sorceresses, equipped them with enchanted ropes to nullify their magic and pushed them ahead as they stepped out of the temple.

The mistress of evil stepped near the edge of the Great Plateau and looked down at this new, unfamiliar Hyrule that spread out in front of her. "So…" she calmly said without turning around. "Explain to me why you decided to summon me to this era."

"An easy explanation, my lord," Ghirahim said with a subservient bow as he stepped close to her. "Here, in this distant past, your anger and fury has become powerful enough to cover the entire land in a manifestation of blight. It attracts monsters and is corrosive for Hylians and the other peaceful tribes of Hyrule. This vast amount of your evilness has helped us focus your spirit in this time and summon you through the Gate of Time. Of course, our intention was to summon you in one of your greater, splendid forms of the past, not like… this."

Ganondorf ignored Ghirahim's last comment and focused her gaze on Hyrule Castle, which loomed in the distance. The former residence of the accursed royal family… now it was engulfed in a dark veil of shadows. She could still feel the dark presence that had been festering deep within its walls… a presence very familiar to her own, but twisted and warped beyond recognition. A beast that acted on instinct alone and could under no way be considered a sentient being, yet alone anything even remotely human.

She hated it. It disgusted her to see what she would become in at least this version of the future. She wanted power. She wanted a land for her people and minions. And, it was true, she also desired revenge. But she would never want to sacrifice her sense of self for it. And she swore to herself that she would do anything in her power to prevent this from happening.

But for now, she was here, in this point of time, in this unfamiliar, female body. And she would have to make the best from it. Also, she was curious. As much as she detested the mindless beast her future self had become, she wanted to see how the remaining inhabitants of Hyrule had been faring in this time, where her name was only known to describe a cursed calamity, not a notorious warlord. And most importantly, she wanted to see how her own tribe was faring in this future version of Hyrule.

"We will be staying here," she proclaimed. "Our first task will be to find a suitable stronghold where I can rest, gather my power and surround myself with monsters that are loyal to my cause."

"What?" Ghirahim gasped. "But master… why stay here in this time? We have the two sorceresses under our control… we can easily go back to another point in time, where the kingdom of Hyrule is still standing strong. Do you intend on conquering a small amount of scattered tribes that only live in tiny villages? This isn't a conquest worthy of your name! This is…"

"You do not get to decide what conquest is worthy, Ghirahim!" Ganondorf shouted. It wasn't the commanding, booming voice she had as a man, but it was still enough to shut Ghirahim up. "You are forgetting your place, demon… You may have taken command during the time I was gone, but now that I have returned, you will stand back and obey!"

"Yes… yes, of course, my lord… please forgive my presumptuousness, oh great one…" Ghirahim muttered fearfully as he cowered down. "Everything will be done as you command."

"Good." The Gerudo girl nodded with satisfaction. As long as her orders were clear and there was no insubordination, everything was fine. She glanced over to Cia and Lana. "As for you, you don't need to be afraid. Your powers will be only of use to me as long as you're alive."

"Why should we believe you?" Cia gritted her teeth. "When I helped releasing you that other time, you didn't hesitate to get rid of me as fast as you can."

"That's because you've never wanted to serve me in the first place, isn't that right, my dear Cia?" Ganondorf grinned. "All you cared about was your obsession with the hero. Serving me has never been one of your goals. But I am giving you a chance here to change your opinion on that. By now, you've given up on chasing your little crush anyways, haven't you?"

"She only realized that it is not her destiny to be with him," Lana interjected, staring at the Gerudo firmly. "Just like me, she still loves him. But we've both come to terms with our role in life and that you cannot fight fate. And just like Link is destined to be with Zelda, you will always be destined to lose!"

"Is that so?" Ganondorf chuckled. "And where is your brave hero now? Oh, that's right: He is busy fighting a reincarnation of my fury and hatred. He doesn't even know that I am here. So I have more than enough time to prepare and wait for the optimal time to strike. That is, unless I decide to strike the line of the hero at a different point in time." She chuckled. "As long as I have you two with me, I am free to attack whatever Link I want. And as soon as I've beaten him, the endless cycle will be broken! And this…" She pointed at the dark calamity surrounding the castle. "Will never come to pass."

"You are wrong," Lana said. "No matter what comes, no matter what reincarnation he is in, Link will always be ready to deal with you. He is smart, courageous, strong and ready to deal with any situation he finds himself in!"

* * *

"I don't know how to deal with this situation!" Link yelled.

The young, slightly amnesiac hero of Hyrule and once the personal guardian of Princess Zelda, found himself in a rather unusual predicament. Or rather, herself, since she was currently in the body of a young Hylian female. She sat in her recently-purchased house at the outskirts of Hateno Village and was poking different, unfamiliar parts of her new anatomy.

"This isn't happening…" Link murmured. "Everything was fine yesterday. I was fighting the Yiga Clan, helped Riju retrieve her tribal heirloom, prepared to infiltrate Vah Naboris, upgraded some of my armor pieces at the Great Fairy's spring, found some additional Korok seeds and went back to Hateno to go to bed… so, nothing out of the ordinary."

Her companion, the grey and white wolf she had decided to simply call Link Two, let out a yawn as he observed his master pace back and forth, scratching her head and trying to calm herself. Or was that mistress? Not that it meant a lot. If he had a voice, he would try to put some sense back into the girl's head. Changing your form should never be a reason to stop your quest to save the world. It definitely wasn't for him.

"What could have caused this?" Link groaned. "A curse by a mischievous wizzrobe? Revenge from the Yiga because I defeated their leader? Wait…" She looked down at the small tablet hanging from her waist. "What if this is a malfunction of the Sheikah Slate? If it was able to change Purah into a small girl, it could be able to change a person's gender too, right?"

Link Two let out a short whine, which was more or less a wolf's version of a shrug.

"I could also ask the great Deku Tree for advice," Link realized. Then she sighed. "But I'm not sure I can face him if that means I have to tell him I lost the Master Sword… how is THAT even possible? Didn't he tell me the sword would automatically come back to my side at any time? But it didn't, and instead I've got this…" She reached into her bag and took out a small, wand-like object. It had a symbol she knew she never saw before, but yet it still felt familiar. It was the crest of… Jupiter?

"How do I know that?" she wondered. "Am I getting crazy? Am I gathering someone else's memories in addition to my own? I need to fix this, I… I need to talk to Purah." She quickly threw on her champion's tunic, her boots and a regular traveler sword. At least some of her arsenal was still present.

"Watch the house, Link Two. I'll be back soon!"

The wolf watched her run outside and into town. Like any loyal canine companion, he sat down in front of the house to protect it. He was determined to prove to Link that he was the most useful, helpful companion one could ever get. No annoying reminders where to go next. No constant insisting to do a certain thing. And most importantly, no sassy comebacks.

'Goddess, I miss Midna…' he thought to himself as he lay down on the soft grass.

* * *

Poke. "Hmmmmm…" Poke poke. "This interesting. Snap, I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before." Poke poke. "Well, unless you count my own transformation into a child, but that was more of a temporal rewind than an exchange of chromosomes." Poke.

"Purah…"

"Hm?" Purah, director of the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, looked up from her experiment and looked into the eyes of her guest. "I'm sorry, what did you say, Linky? I was a bit… distracted."

Link gritted her teeth. "Could you please stop poking my boobs and tell me that we can use your Guidance Stone to fix this."

"Oh. Sorry about that." Purah removed her finger. "Scientific curiosity. And nope, I'm afraid we can't do that. This change was not induced by ancient Sheikah tech. If I had to guess, I would assume it was a magic spell. Or something entirely different, but definitely not my field of expertise."

"Just great…" Link muttered. "Symin, what about you? Do you know anything that could help?"

"Well…" Purah's assistant, the curious Sheikah researcher Symin, pushed up his glasses. "I have dabbled a bit in magic… purely theoretical, mind you. But I remember reading a few old books that originated from Hyrule Castle, in which magical transformations and transmutations were described. Most seem to be based on some form of ancient shadow magic, created by a tribe that seems to have become extinct in this era. They were called the Twili, and their magic specialized in transfiguration, teleportation and levitation. However, it is highly doubtful that your current state is because of Twili magic."

"Why is that?" Link wondered.

"Because shadow magic would have been rejected by your Sheikah Slate," Symin explained. "And it seems to be working just fine."

"Wonderful. So all you can tell me is… that you don't know what's going on." Link shook her head as she sat down on Purah's table.

"Hey! No sitting on the table!" the diminutive research lab director shouted. "Honestly, Link, were you raised in a barn? Hmmm…" She adjusted her own glasses. "You know, 'Link' doesn't really sound like a girl's name, does it? Maybe you should a new one, at least until you figured out a way to change back. How does 'Linkle' sound?"

Link stared at her. "What? I don't plan on staying like this, you know? I'm not really a girl."

"But you will obviously spend a prolonged time in this form," Symin pointed out. "Think about it, Link: When you talk to people, they won't recognize you. And not everyone will instantly believe that it's you. Taking on an alias would be the most sensible decision in this situation, if you ask me."

The Hylian champion was visibly annoyed. "Fine, then. I'll call myself Linkle when talking to others. But I'm still Link, you hear me?"

"A wise decision," Purah said cheerfully. "Everything will work out just fine, you'll see. Maybe you can tell everyone that you are Link's twin sister and that you're watching his home while he's traveling around Hyrule, fighting monsters, searching for treasure, setting fields on fire…"

"That only happened once!" Link blushed. "And it was an accident… how was I supposed to know using a fire rod in high grass was a bad idea?"

"Well, maybe your new magic rod won't cause a huge disaster quite as fast," Symin chuckled. "I've analyzed it and found out that it somehow contains the power of lightning. Maybe it's former user was a member of the Gerudo, just like Champion Urbosa. She was able to control lightning, wasn't she?"

"She was," Link nodded. "But this definitely doesn't look like a Gerudo weapon. But if this is the only lead we have… I guess I can pay Riju another visit and ask her about it."

"Look at it in a positive way, Linky," Purah smiled. "At least this time around, you won't have to dress in drag when entering Gerudo Town. Technically, at least."

"Just watch yourself while traveling," Symin threw in before Link could even roll her eyes at Purah's statement. "The Yiga Clan seems to have increased its assaults in the fields, and there have been reports of strange-looking Bokoblins in the vicinity of the Great Platea."

"Looks like Kohga's defeat didn't put an end to the Yiga's operation after all," Link said. "But strange Bokoblins? Strange in what way?"

Symin scratched his head. "According to eyewitnesses, these Bokoblins all seemed to be… female."

Link blinked a few times. That was not an answer she expected. "What? Is that even a thing? I always thought the monsters spawn from Ganon's Malice slime. Do they even reproduce?"

"I know, it's unprecedented," Symin agreed. "But we've had multiple travelers saying the same thing. And that's not even the most curious part. These Bokoblin girls, they… well, they're talking."

"They are WHAT?"

* * *

In the wilderness of Hyrule, somewhere between the Dueling Peaks and the Great Plateau, a small group of Bokoblins were bickering amongst each other. They were the same size and color as any other Bokoblin, but unlike the regular kind, these small monsters actually looked like young girls. They had cute faces with big eyes, tiny pig-like noses and cute fangs. Their ears were as big and floppy as those of any Bokoblin, but there were tufts of hair growing in-between them. They were using the same, crudely-crafted weapons such as sharp bones attached to wooden clubs, small shields made from tree bark and shoddily-made bows. But in addition to their usual loincloths and skull necklaces, they were also wearing flimsy tops that covered their chests.

"Me name is Akane now!" a red-skinned girl just announced, waving her little boko club around. She had tied her hair in a short ponytail.

A second red Bokoblin with slightly longer, unbound hair shook her head. "Nu-uh! Me am Akane, me choose name first."

"Not fair!" the first girl shouted as she hopped up and down angrily. "You not choose, you lying!"

"You all shut up!" came the loud voice of their leader. Her blue skin showed that she was stronger than the other two and therefore, according to Bokoblin hierarchy, she was their leader. "Me am leader! And me say… you is Yuka! And you is Sayuri!" She pointed at her two minions. "And me… me am Akane!"

"Awwww…" the two red girls echoed with disappointed voices. Their transformation had made them more intelligent than the average Bokoblin. Which still wasn't much, therefore they didn't argue with the leader. They just weren't smart enough to make decisions on their own. "And what we do now, Akane-boss?" Yuka asked.

"Yeah," Sayuri nodded. "What we do? We not like other Bokoblin. Other Bokoblin mean, attack us. Where we go?"

"Me… me am thinking." The leader put her weapon (a short sword she stole from a Hylian traveler) down for the moment and sat down on a big rock. It was the biggest rock near the edge of the river, so it belonged to her. This was the place where she got her best ideas. After a while, her train of thoughts was disrupted by distant voices that were coming closer.

"Akane-boss, Hylians coming!" Yuka said, grabbing one of the wooden poles they were using to roast fishes. "We attack them, yes?"

"We not attack!" Akane-boss scolded her little minion. "We assault! Normal Bokoblins attack. We better now. We assault!"

"Well, well, well… what do we have here?"

The three Bokoblin girls looked up in surprise as they saw a Gerudo girl, a skinny man, a creature completely clad in armor and a pair of Hylian girls standing in front of them.

Ganondorf smiled. "Looks like whatever changed me changed you little things as well. You girls look like you need a real leader… someone who guides you, gives you a purpose. Ghirahim? It seems we just found our first minions."

"Me no minion!" Akane-boss shouted, picking up her sword. "Me am Akane and me am boss…"

"Dead Scream!"

The blue pig-girl yelped in pain as a violet sphere of magic came flying out of the Gerudo girl's palm. Ghirahim shuddered when he watched how the Bokoblin got flung into the boulder right behind her. He learned how that felt not too long ago.

Ganondorf chuckled as she felt the magical power flowing through her. It wasn't the Triforce of Power, but it was something, at least. "Looks like I'm getting the hang of this new magic."

"Ow…" Akane muttered, seeing nothing but stars. "Okay okay… maybe you are boss…"

"You shall call me MASTER!" Ganondorf commanded.

"Yes yes!" Sayuri quickly nodded her head, making her floppy ears fly back and forth. "Boss is master!"

"But boss is girl," Yuka said with a frown. "Is not mistress?"

"Uh… okay, mistress is boss!" Sayuri quickly corrected herself.

"Mistress… is fine for now," Ganondorf said, rubbing her temples. "Assembling a whole army of these is going to be a loooot of work…"

* * *

Not feeling too motivated, Link nevertheless returned home to pack her things for the long trip to the desert, and to saddle her horse. "I don't know whatever it was that took away the Master Sword, but at least it didn't take Epona," she said to herself in relief.

When she arrived at her front door, she saw Link Two waiting for her… but he wasn't alone. An unfamiliar woman was standing next to him. She was tall, slender and very beautiful. Her long, reddish-orange hair hung down to her waist, and her skin had an almost unnatural, grey tint to it. She had an almost impish gleam in her eyes as she saw Link approaching and showed her a smirk. Link had no idea what to make of her, she was certain she had never seen her before. She also didn't show up in any of the memories she had recollected up to now. And even though she was wearing Hylian clothes, she definitely wasn't a champion of Hyrule.

His wolf companion didn't seem to mind her, though. On the contrary, he looked very happy as he sat next to her, tongue hanging out and his tail wagging. With a small chuckle, the strange woman picked up a small branch from the floor and threw it. Immediately, Link Two ran off to fetch it.

She looked at him and smiled. "Hey there. Took you long enough to come back. I would have waited inside, but Wolfy here insisted that we wait here."

Link was very confused. "Excuse me, but… do we know each other?"

"Not in this life," the woman answered. "But I did know one of your previous incarnations."

"Incarnations? Wait, wait, wait… are you saying you knew one of the previous heroes of Hyrule?"

"That's right," she nodded. "The history books called him the Hero of Twilight… but to me, he was always just Link. You can call me Midna, by the way. I am the ruler of the Twili… the Twilight Princess."

"Hold on, this is happening way too fast!" Link waved her arms. "You know, things have been pretty hectic and confusing even before you showed up. I was placed in a shrine of resurrection, I lost nearly all of my memories, all of my old friends are dead, I find out that I have to free four giant, mechanical beasts to save Hyrule, I'm getting telepathic messages from a princess trapped inside the castle, and now I've turned into a girl, lost the Master Sword and all around Hyrule, monsters have been turning into cute girls. Am I missing anything? Oh, that's right: A strange woman I've never seen before shows up in my life and claims she met one of my previous incarnations!" She threw her arms up into the air and glared up at the clouds. "Gods! Can't I ever catch a break? Is that too much to ask for?"

Midna frowned. "Hey, life hasn't exactly a walk in the park for me either, you know? My people were banished into another realm by the gods, I was betrayed by an evil usurper, he turned me into a tiny imp and I had to rely on the help of a clueless, drooling mutt to get everything done!"

Link Two looked up at her as if he was offended.

She smirked. "No offense, Wolfy. But you were pretty helpless when we first met. Without me, you wouldn't have been able to even get out of jail."

Link Two then made a shrugging motion, as if he wanted to say: All right, you made a fair point.

"Now, what am I missing?" Midna continued. "Oh yes, I remember: Even after I was turned back to normal, I had to abandon my best friend. And later on, I was turned into an imp AGAIN when the usurper came back with a couple of new friends, had to be recruited by heroes from the past to save Hyrule yet again, and now I am back here AGAIN because Zant just can't stay dead! Ugh!" She snorted in frustration. "Well, I guess the good part is that I'm not an imp this time. But I still lost my powers of twilight… so there you have it."

Link was looking back and forth between the Twilight Princess and the wolf sitting next to her. "You… know each other… don't you?"

Midna couldn't help but smirk again. "Oh, you don't know the half of it. What if I told you that the Hero of Twilight was not incarnated once in this time period, but twice? You know, my old friend had this interesting ability to change between the forms of a Hylian and a wild wolf." She pointed at Link. "You are his Hylian reincarnation. And little Wolfy over here… what are you calling him, Link Two? He's the reincarnation of his wolf form. Oh, and he's also the one who inherited all of the memories from his previous life."

Link stared down at the wolf who had been helping her throughout her adventure up to this point. He looked at her innocently, wagging his tail. "You… you are the Hero of Twilight?" she muttered. "One of my ancestors? My… previous selves?"

The wolf nodded. Comfortingly, he nuzzled Link a bit, before walking over to Midna and nuzzle her as well.

Midna smiled as she petted his head. "I've missed you, old friend. Both versions of you, actually. And I could really use your help."

Link sat down in the grass with a deep sigh. All of these revelations were a bit too much for her. "How are you even here? If you knew one of my past incarnations as the hero, you must at least be thousands of years old. Or does time run differently in the realm you are living in?"

"It's a long story," Midna said. "To make it short, I met these two sorceresses, Lana and Cia, while I was helping save Hyrule a second time. They could open portals to other time periods. That's how my enemy Zant was able to return and how I got here. And now he's back yet again, together with another servant of Ganon, to revive him. That servant, Ghirahim, came to the Twilight Realm to recruit Zant. They forced Lana and Cia to open time portals for them and now they are here, in this time. But they didn't notice that Lana left a time gate open after they left." She gave a cocky grin. "And that's how I was able to follow them."

"They want to revive Calamity Ganon?" Link gasped with terror as she jumped back to her feet. "But Princess Zelda is in the castle, using all her power to contain his evil… and she's already struggling to keep him at bay. If those two servants make it even harder for her…"

"You don't get what I'm saying, hero girl," Midna remarked. "They want to revive a version of Ganon, but it's not exactly CALAMITY Ganon they're after… and, well… they might have already succeeded in bringing him back. Or rather… her."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Link asked.

Midna raised an eyebrow. "You heard that all these female monsters are appearing in Hyrule, yes? And did you ask yourself why they are appearing right now? Well, take a good guess…"

* * *

Several hours after her little encounter with her three newest minions, Ganondorf and her followers had managed to settle down in the ruins of an abandoned coliseum. "This is perfect," Ganondorf smiled as she looked around. "No Hylian with half a brain has dared to come here in ages. With a bit of cleanup and reconstruction, we can turn this place into a suitable fortress of evil. Not as great as Hyrule Castle or any of my old towers, but it'll do just fine for now. We just need to remove this repulsive goo…"

"You heard the master, minions!" Zant shouted. "Put your backs into it!"

The three Bokoblin girls gasped and groaned as they wiped the coliseum's floors with some wooden mops. "This stupid…" Yuka grunted. "Yuka no minion for cleaning, Yuka minion for smashing!"

"Wait, me though we were minions for assaulting?" Sayuri wondered.

Akane just grimaced. "Oh, you shut up and mop floor…"

"Stop blabbering and work harder, or I'll make you mop ALL the floors in Hyrule!" Zant screeched.

In the meantime, Ghirahim had prepared a small zone of comfort on the coliseum's first floor. After pillaging the nearest stable, he had managed to acquire two beds, a couple of blankets, a nice carpet, a few chests and chairs, a table, some candles and even a very comfortable couch.

"I'm not much for manual labor, but I must say that I did a very good job with this," Ghirahim said with a smug grin. He was about to recline on the couch to enjoy his fruits of labor, but he stopped himself in time when Ganondorf sat down on it.

"This will do nicely for the beginning," Ganondorf sighed as she enjoyed the softness of the couch. "Very well done indeed, Ghirahim."

"Oh, y-yes, of course… anything for the satisfaction of my master…" The great demon lord made a disappointed face as he watched his master claim ownership of the very same piece of loot he had chosen for himself.

Ganondorf took a while to get comfortable. "Now, report!" she then said. "How is recruitment proceeding?"

"There are certainly much more monsters that have changed than we anticipated, master," Ghirahim reported. "Not just Bokoblins, but also several Moblins and Lizalfos have arrived, a couple of Wizzrobes, even a Lynel…"

"And they all have taken on characteristics from young, female Hylians?" Ganondorf wondered.

"It seems so," Ghirahim nodded. "Apparently, there are still a lot of monsters around that didn't transform. And they still seem to be loyal to the Calamity, while the female ones all have shown interest in joining our troops. How could this be, I wonder."

"It's this new… power I have obtained," Ganondorf realized. "The same outside force that intervened with your ritual did not just change me, but it must have affected my minions as well. At least… some of them. They do come from me, after all."

"Oh, you are certainly right about this, master," Ghirahim nodded. "You are an incarnation of Demise, after all. And all monsters come from him. That is the reason why you are able to command them in any of your previous lives."

"And now that I've changed, so have they," Ganondorf said. "I even believe that all of them would have changed, if it wasn't for my corrupted, future self lying sealed within Hyrule Castle. The Calamity and I can't maintain control over all the monsters as long as the other one is present in this time period."

"Master, you are not planning on destroying the Calamity, are you?" Ghirahim was aghast. "That would mean helping your sworn enemy."

"Maybe I won't help him directly," Ganondorf smirked. "But I wouldn't exactly oppose the idea of him destroying the Calamity for us. That would give me control over all the monsters in the land, not just half of them."

"And the hero would be too exhausted from his previous battles to stand up against you!" Ghirahim clapped his hands with glee. "A brilliant plan!"

"For now, we should bide our time and wait for more minions to arrive," Ganondorf decided. "Are the new followers acceptable? Do they follow orders?"

"They do, but…" Ghirahim hesitated a bit. "Their newfound ability to think… intelligence isn't quite what I would call it… it makes it difficult for them to get along with each other. Just take a look…"

They peered down at the Bokoblin trio as they continued to scrub the floors. Sayuri wiped her forehead and groaned. "Cleaning much more hard than assaulting. Me am tired, boss…"

"And me back hurts," Yuka whined.

"Be quiet!" Akane ordered them. "Me am thinking. Hmmmm…" Her gaze fell on the towering form of the Lynel girl that was standing in one corner of the coliseum. Like all Lynels, she was a loner, preferring to stay by herself instead of mingling with other monsters.

Akane grinned. "Me have idea." And she scurried off towards the Lynel.

The Lynel was busy sharpening her giant sword with a whetstone. She had a fiery red mane that hung down her back, and compared to the tiny Bokoblins, she had a rather sizeable bust, which was covered by a leather chestplate. The rest of her body was pure muscle, and even though her horns were a bit smaller than those of a regular Lynel, they were still intimidating. When the little blue Bokoblin approached her, she noticed it in one corner of her eye and gave it the same annoyed look a human would give a gnat.

"Hey, big horse girl!" Akane shouted as she waved her hands. "Me Akane. Me want talk with you."

"The name's Asuka!" the Lynel grumbled. "And I don't associate with weaklings."

But Akane was insistent. "Me wanna ask help. Big horse girl help Akane and minions clean floor? Horse girl big and strong, cleaning very easy, yes?"

Asuka growled. "I'm giving you five seconds to leave me alone, Boko! One… two…"

"But Akane just wants…"

"Three…" The Lynel girl narrowed her eyes.

"Fine, fine, Akane leaving…" the Bokoblin grumbled as she slinked off.

Satisfied, Asuka went back to sharpening her weapon. She didn't pay any more attention to the Bokoblins, so she didn't notice how the trio started whispering among each other. She also didn't notice how they all started crawling up the wall to the upper floor, where they looked down at her, took aim… and then all three of them jumped on her back.

Asuka snarled with surprise and anger as she reared up, trying to shake the Bokoblins off her back. "Get off!" she screamed. "Annoying Bokos!"

"Hold her, Akane, hold her!" Yuka shouted.

"Me got her, me got her! Sayuri, make her go to mop and clean!" Akane yelled while clinging onto Asuka's mane for dear life.

"Me not know how to driiiiive!" Sayuri screeched as she clung to the Lynel's horns.

"I.. said… get… OFF!" Asuka roared. She ran towards a wall, turned her upper body around at the last moment… and then she used all her muscle power and momentum to leap towards the wall, with the three Boko girls caught in the middle.

The whole coliseum shook from the impact, small pebbles fell from the ceiling and Zant almost stumbled into a weapon rack. "What the twilight… what is going on over there?"

Asuka snorted as she stood back up to her feet. She looked like she didn't get harmed at all. "Stupid Boko weaklings…" the Lynel grumbled as she trotted back to her whetstone.

Zant inspected the three Bokoblin-shaped holes in the wall. "Now look what you've done, you morons," he barked at them. "You ruined the western wall! What do you have to say for yourselves, foolish minions?"

A weak groan could be heard from the Akane-shaped hole. "Akane… want… better union…"

Ghirahim looked at his master nervously. "They… will get better." Ganondorf just rolled her eyes.


	5. Changed Mutants

Splinter, the ninjitsu master formerly known as Hamato Yoshi until he got mutated into a mutant rat and became the sensei of four mutated, teenage turtles, was pulled out of his meditation. He frowned and stood up from the floor of his room inside the Turtles' hideout, located in the sewers deep underneath New York City. He had tried his best to focus, but loud video game noises coming from the next room were incredibly distracting.

He went to the living room where the TV was set up, alongside the newest video game machine Donatello had somehow managed to acquire… or did he even make one himself? Knowing Donatello, the possibility definitely existed.

"How is an old rat supposed to meditate with all this racket?" he demanded to know as he entered. He realized a moment too late that none of his foster sons were actually present. Instead, a teenage human girl was sitting on the Turtles' sofa, staring attentively on the TV screen and the video game that was playing there. She was holding a gaming controller and furiously pressed its buttons.

"I'm sorry, Sensei," the girl muttered, not even once looking away from the screen. "But I really… need to… focus… gah! This boss is giving me trouble ever since I've started playing this game!"

Splinter took a second to have a closer look on the girl. She looked like she had to be around the same age as the Turtles. She had blonde, shoulder-length hair and wore a set of pretty normal-looking street clothes for a girl her age, including a t-shirt, a pair of jeans shorts and some sneakers. And, for some reason, she was wearing a full set of ninja equipment directly over her clothes, the same his sons were normally using. Even though the mask and belt were hanging a bit loosely around her slender frame.

"Young lady, may I ask who you are? And how did you find this place?" Splinter inquired as he walked closer. "Did my students bring you down here? Are you a new friend of theirs?"

"What?" The girl seemed so surprised that she stopped looking at the screen for a moment. She giggled. "Oh, nice joke, Master Splinter. I almost thought you were… OH NOOOOO!" She wailed in despair as she realized her moment of distraction caused her to lose her game. "I didn't focus all my attention on the game, now I lost! I'm sorry, Sensei… you always teach us not to let ourselves get distracted." She lowered her head in shame. "I failed you…"

This reaction made Splinter cautious. He was old and experienced enough to realize when things were not as they seemed. "Tell me, what is your name?" He looked at her equipment again. The orange-colored mask and bands around her arms and legs… the pair of nunchucks laying beside her… the belt with the capital 'M' in its center… No, it couldn't possibly be… could it?

"Why do you keep asking that?" she asked. Her voice was filled with honest confusion and even a bit of… fear? "And why are you looking at me like that, Sensei? You recognize me, don't you? It's me, Michelangelo."

"Michel… angelo?" Splinter's eyes widened. "No…" He wanted to deny it, but the proof was in front of his eyes. "What happened to you, my son?"

"What do you mean?" She looked down at herself… and let out a sharp yelp when she saw her body. "What the shell? What happened to me? Why am I so tiny? And my arms are so scrawny. And… wait a sec, is that human skin? Master Splinter!" Her eyes widened herself as she stared at the old rat. "Did I become… human?"

He could hear the slight touch of hope in her voice. Over the years, the four brothers got accustomed to living in the sewers of New York as bipedal, talking turtles pretty well and accepted their roles as the secret protectors of the town… but Splinter knew them well enough to know that deep inside, they still yearned for a more normal life on the surface. And none of the brothers had expressed that hope as frequently as Michelangelo, the youngest of the four.

Still… this probably wasn't what he had in mind. Even more concerning was that the change happened abruptly, with no indication as for how it happened abruptly. Shortly before Splinter went into his chambers to meditate, he had seen Michelangelo in his regular, shelled form. There were no hints that anyone else had entered the hideout. No traces of mutagen or anything similar either. So there was a lot of reasons to worry about this change. Was it safe? Was it healthy? Would his youngest protégé change even more?

"I think… you should take a look for yourself, Michelangelo," the wise master finally said as he showed the teenage girl a mirror.

Michelangelo gasped in surprise as she got a first good look at her new, human, female self. "N-no way… I'm a girl? How did this happen?"

"I don't know the answer, I'm afraid," Splinter sighed. "But I think we should find out. Where are your brothers? We need to find a solution together."

Michelangelo was fixated on her face. She touched her hair, her cheeks and her nose in confusion, but yet also curiosity. "I think… I think Donnie's in his lab. He's working on some new gadget, so he probably didn't hear us yet… you know how he his. And Leo and Raph are patrolling the sewers."

"Then we need to find them, quickly," Splinter said in a very serious voice. "And let's hope that what happened to you, didn't happen to them."

* * *

Unaware of what happened to their brother, Leonardo and Raphael were scouting the sewer tunnels for possible intruders.

"Not a lot going on this week," Leonardo noted. "The Foot's keeping awfully quiet."

"Yeah," Raphael smirked. "Maybe old Shred-Head finally realized we're too much for him."

"I wouldn't count on that, Raph," Leo said. "If the Shredder is anything, it's persistent. I have the feeling he and Krang are preparing something."

"Ah, what can they even do?" Raph snorted. "The Technodrome's still trapped deep underground. And if they do show their ugly faces on the surface, we'll just shove them right back under."

"I wish I had your optimism," Leo sighed. "Master Splinter told us that a good ninja is always prepared for trouble."

"Oh, stop being such a suck-up for the master and let's try to find some action." Raphael cracked his knuckles. "My fists are itching for a fight. Come on, let's get going. Maybe we'll run into Rat King."

Leonardo shook his head as they entered the next tunnel. "Typical old Raphael…"

They didn't visit this tunnel very often, since it was so remote and far from their home. It was darker here than usual.

"Be on guard…" Leo whispered. "I hear something."

"I hear it too," Raph nodded, drawing his sai. "You think it's a goon of Shredder, some of Baxter's Mousers… or just a rat?"

"This is bigger than a rat," Leonardo muttered under his breath. "And it's not mechanical, either. Sounds like someone or something is… chewing?"

Carefully, the two turtle brothers followed the tunnel as it made a turn. Then, they saw something in the darkness in front of them. It was a figure that was hunched over, chewing on what looked like a pile of meat. The creature looked frail and thin, and it dug into its food as if it hadn't eaten in days.

"What in the world?" Raphael whispered. "Well, whatever it is, it hasn't seen us yet. Ready to attack, fearless leader?"

"Not yet," Leonardo whispered back. "We don't know if it's hostile yet. Maybe it's someone who got lost in the sewers."

The blue-masked leader of the Turtles took out a small flashlight and shone it on the voracious carnivore. The creature blinked as it looked up from its meal and towards them.

A small growl echoed through the darkness, followed by a voice that sounded strangely pleasant, for some reason. "Stop blinding me like that, you blasted turtles, or you'll be part of my next meal, I guarantee!"

"It's a girl," Leonardo said in surprise.

"Yeah," Raphael nodded. "But is it just me or did her accent sound kind of familiar?"

The human girl they were now seeing in the beam of Leo's flashlight was fairly thin and had a wild mane of greenish hair that looked more like a patch of moss from a swamp. Her clothes consisted of some pants, a leather jacket, a pair of boots and an old, bent hat. Leonardo noticed with a blush that she wasn't wearing anything underneath her jacket.

"Excuse me, miss," he said. "But what are you doing down here in the sewers? Are you lost? Do you need help?"

"Ha! The last time I let you guys 'help' me, it ended up with me getting stuck in quicksand!" the young woman said with a growl in her voice. "And stop looking at me already, it's bad enough to be stuck in this stupid, weak form."

"Wait a minute…" Leonardo looked back at his red-masked brother. "Those clothes and that voice… Raph, I think we know her."

"Are you sure?" Raphael asked. "I don't think I can remember her from anywhere. Her voice does sound familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Of course you know me," the girl shouted. "Though I can't exactly blame you for not recognizing me. Last time we clashed, it was in a swamp. Also, I was a mighty handsome alligator instead of a tiny and squishy human lass."

"Leatherhead?" Leo and Raph blurted out at the same time.

"Bout time you found out, you numbskulls…" She grinned at them with two rows of teeth that seemed to be just a bit too sharp for normal human teeth. "Now do you plan on just standing there and gawk or can you finally leave me alone so I can finish my meal in peace?"

"But I don't understand," Leonardo said as he stepped forth. "What happened to you? Was it another batch of mutagen the Shredder dumped in the swamp?"

"Nothing like that, I guarantee," she grumbled. "It was a bunch of voodoo magic, that's what it was. Just a while ago, I was my scaly self, trying to find you in this convoluted sewer system. And then, out of nowhere, some crazy magic must have turned me into this." She angrily stood up and stomped her foot. "I mean how cruel is that? First I get transformed from being a regular alligator… which wasn't too bad, since I could talk and was even stronger than before. But now I'm not even a reptile anymore, and a female on top of that? Why can't those voodoo witches just decide on just one form for me and be done with that?"

"But what are you going to do now?" Raphael wondered.

"I dunno," she shrugged. "I figured I'd stay here for a while. I dunno the first thing about being a human. I tried getting up there and get some food, but everyone just gave me weird looks. That one old lady even said I was 'indecent', whatever that meant. I don't need a bunch of humans tellin' me what I'm supposed to do!" She huffed. "So I just took some meat from a store and fled back into the sewers. Wish I could just get back to the swamp." She slunk back down to the ground with a groan. "But I couldn't even hunt with this weak body, yet alone swim back all that distance."

"So what you're saying is, you stole that meat," Leonardo glowered.

"Sure I did!" Leatherhead shouted. "What else was I supposed to do?"

"Come on," Raphael said with a sigh. "You can't stay here like this. And you certainly can't live only on raw meat from the butcher's shop. Come with us, and we'll introduce you to the best meal humankind has ever invented. You'll love it…" He smirked. "I guarantee."

The green-haired girl gave him a confused frown. "What are you talking about?"

* * *

"All right, pizza time!"

Donatello, the purple-masked tech genius of the Turtles, stretched in his chair after several hours of work on his latest invention. "This latest piece of turtle equipment will surely give us the advantage in any future battles with the Foot Clan," he said with satisfaction. "But a genius can't work on an empty stomach… I just hope Mikey didn't eat all of the 99-cheese pizza."

Donnie left his workshop for lunch. When he was walking in the direction of the living room, he could hear voices. One of them was his Master Splinter. But who was the girl?

"Just stop moving."

"But I don't wanna wear that, sensei. It's sooo girly!"

"It's the only one I have right now, and you were the one complaining that your hair kept getting in your face."

"I knooooow, but… it's so PINK!"

"Stop struggling! A true ninja knows when he has to accept defeat gracefully."

"But didn't you also say a ninja is only truly defeated when he's unable to evade his opponent?"

A loud crash was heard, as if something heavy had fallen over.

"You can't run away from your master forever!"

"Try and catch me, sensei…"

Donatello entered the living room. "What in the name of Bill Gates is going on here?"

Master Splinter and a blonde girl Donatello was unfamiliar with froze on the spot after chasing each other around the room. It was a mess, the floor was littered pieces of clothing, ninja gear and other things, and the spectacular 99-cheese pizza was splattered all over the TV set.

Donatello took a bewildered look at his master. "Sensei, what… what were you DOING in here?"

Splinter coughed nervously. "Now, Donatello… as I taught you, looks can be deceiving… in other words, this isn't what it looks like…"

"Donnie!" the girl shouted as she ran behind his shell. "Sensei wants me to wear this ugly, girly, PINK scrunchy in my hair. Make him stop!"

"Ummm…" Donatello felt more confusion than ever before in his life as a mutant. "Do I… know you?"

Splinter sighed. "Michelangelo, this is for your own good. Listen to your master and wear this… at least until we contact April and ask her to help us out with additional clothes. And maybe Mona Lisa can be of assistance as well."

"What?" the girl with the orange bandana shrieked. "You want me to go SHOPPING with the girls? Over my dead body!"

"M-mikey?" Donatello stuttered. "Is that you?"

"Um, yeah, it is…" she grinned weakly. "Hehehe… um, surprise?"

"To make a long story short," Splinter sighed. "We don't know what happened."

"Oh man," Donnie groaned. "How can this day get any more confusing?"

That's when Leonardo and Raphael came in, followed by another girl.

"Hey Sensei, we're back," Raphael shouted. "Um, I hope you don't mind, but we brought a guest for lunch."

The wild-looking girl with the sharp teeth sniffed a couple of times. "So, where are those 'pizzas' you told me about? I'm starving…"

"Leatherhead, you ate a whole pile of raw beef before we got here…" Leo sighed.

"Leathy?" Mikey gasped as she ran over to the swamp girl. "Yaaay, I'm not the only one with this problem. Gender-changed reptile mutant besties FOREVER!" And she gave the former alligator a big hug.

"GAH! Leggo of me, ya dumb blonde broad!" Leatherhead growled. "Or I'll stick ya in one of my traps, I guarantee!"

Donatello felt like crying. "And it started out to be such a wonderful day…"

* * *

In the Technodrome, Bebop and Rocksteady were pressing their ears against a metal door. But it was no use, the security doors Krang installed in his fortress were soundproof, once closed.

"I wonder what Krang's doing in there," Rocksteady said. "Hey Beebs… what exactly did Krang say before running in here?"

"Um, let me think," Bebop said. "There was this bright lightshow, Krang turned into this small, pink-haired girl with HUGE ponytails, then the Stone Warriors came through the portal… but they all looked like hot babes for some reason. Then Krang started yelling, gave her soldiers some orders and locked herself in this room, and that's where she's been for the past few hours."

"I know all that," Rocksteady said. "But what was it that she yelled? It was so shrill and high-pitched, I couldn't understand anything."

"I'm not sure, but I think it was something along the lines of: 'If anyone tries to get in here or even eavesdrop, have them strapped to a table so I can use them in my next genetic experiment.' Yeah, I think that sounds about right," the warthog nodded.

"Huh, is that so?" Rocksteady looked around… and gulped nervously when he saw two of Krang's highest-ranked Stone Warriors stand there, General Traag and Sergeant Granitor. Even though they know had the appearance of youthful women, they still towered a bit over the two massive mutants, and their bodies were made of solid rock, which gave them the appearance of tall, muscular amazons. However, there was not a single strand of hair under the military helmets they were wearing.

"Lord Krang's orders were absolute," Traag barked in her menacing voice that was still quite deep for a woman. "No civilians allowed in the vicinity of this door!"

"Leave, before we have you locked up for insubordination," growled Granitor, in an even deeper voice.

Bebop couldn't help but stare at Granitor's face. "I have a question," he snorted. "That huge beak of a nose you used to have… are you very mad about its loss? I mean, the nose you have now is so small and tiny… you can barely see it's there…"

Granitor only let out a roar of frustration and gave him a punch with her boulder-sized fist. The warthog mutant was quite big and powerful himself, but it still felt to him as if he was hit by an avalanche. Before he could even think of retaliating, a powerful kick of the rock woman flung him away from the door, along the corridor.

General Traag shoved Rocksteady after his pal. "You're lucky she didn't pull her weapon," she shouted. "Now stay away from this door, mutant scumbags!"

Bebop while his buddy helped him get back to his feet. "Y'know what, Rock?" he mumbled dizzily.

"Yeah, Beebs?" Rocksteady asked.

"I really think that nose was there to compensate for something…" Bebop muttered.

The rhino snickered a bit at that. Fortunately for both of them, the two Stone Warriors were distracted by the opening of the door. Quickly, Traag and Granitor stood at attention and gave their warlord a salute as SHE came out of her workshop.

"Ah, I feel much better now," she sighed as she started stretching. Or rather, as her new robotic powersuit started stretching. The former alien brain turned diminutive, pink-haired girl was now wearing a suit of mechanical armor that made her appear almost twice as big as she used to be. It had a pair of armored shoulder pads, rocket-powered boots and an assortment of long-ranged weaponry installed in its gloves. On top of that, she was wearing a round helmet with an orange visor. The rest of her suit was colored grey, yellow and red, similar to the colors of her old robot suit, which had mysteriously disappeared during the bright flash of light that changed her.

"Until we find out what exactly caused this… and reverse it… I will be using this suit for battle," she exclaimed. "My current body may not be suited for battle, but neither was my reduced brain form. One advantage is that I once again have fingers… and opposable thumbs." She laughed, but instead of Krang's usual laugh, it was even more high-pitched and actually sounded kind of cute.

"A masterful piece of work, Lord Krang," Traag said. "At your command, the troops have settled in and are awaiting orders."

"Excellent job, general," she smirked and moved her suit around to look at the two mutants. "What are you doing, loafing around the corridor, you wastes of flesh?" she shouted. "And where's Shredder? We are ready to proceed to the next step of our plan."

"Well, y'see, Krang…" Rocksteady scratched his head. "He didn't exactly want to wait until you were done with whatever you were doing in there and… what was it again he said, Beebs?"

"I think he said that instead of wasting time with a malfunctioning dimension gate and a troop of chiseled Barbie dolls, he wanted to come up with his own plan to beat the Turtles," Bebop snorted. "Yeah, that's what he said."

Krang became so mad that her round little face changed colors to an adorable shade of red, even behind her orange visor. "He did WHAAAAAAAT?"

* * *

The Turtles called April right away, of course. And it only took her half an hour to arrive in the lair, bags packed full with clothes. Also, it turned out that Mona Lisa, their old mutant friend, happened to be in the area. As soon as she heard what happened, she offered to come along and help as well.

"Too bad I couldn't have helped you go shopping, April," Mona Lisa sighed. "One thing I do miss about being a human. It's the simple things, you know? Oh hey… Mikey, what about this shirt?"

"Anything, as long as it's not pink," Michelangelo sighed. "Seriously, why did you bring so much? One or two sets of clothes would have been enough, right?"

That made the girls giggle. "Oh Mikey, you don't understand," April said with a smirk. "Half of the fun of having clothes is going shopping for them. Next time, you definitely have to come along with me."

"What do you mean, next time?" Mikey shouted. "I have clothes now, so I don't need any more. Also, I'm not planning on staying like this forever." She pleadingly looked over to her three brothers. "Guuuuys?"

Raphael couldn't help himself but snicker at Michelangelo's plight, and even Leonardo had a hard time keeping his stoic façade up. "Just, um… try and bear it, Mikey." He chuckled. "I'm sure they'll grow tired of it eventually."

"Doesn't look like it…" the blonde girl sighed. She now wore her hair in a ponytail. After lots of demanding, arguing and chasing, she agreed to wear a scrunchy to hold her hair together. But only after April brought along a more simple one.

Mona was just rummaging through another one of the bags, when she noticed a small wand lying on the couch. "Hey, April. Is this an accessory? Looks kind of tacky, don't you think?"

"Hm? No, I didn't buy this," April said, picking up the wand curiously. "But it looks cute, doesn't it? Look at those tiny wings and the moon symbol on top."

"Please, just put that thing away," Michelangelo retched. "It appeared shortly after I changed and it just won't go away. I can hide it wherever I want…" She took the rod and stuffed it inside the fridge… but it reappeared in her hands, in a cloud of sparkles. "See? It just keeps reappearing." She sighed. "This is so uncool, dude… and it's pink, too! I'm supposed to be a ninja, not a fairy tale princess!"

Raphael chuckled. "Little Miss Mikey ready to go to the ball to meet Prince Charming?"

"BRO! Not funny!" Mikey shouted.

"Hey now, leave him alone, Raph," Leo said. "You see he's taking it pretty bad, don't you?"

"Just you wait until it's your turn to be turned into a girl," Mona Lisa said with a frown. "Then I'll put you in the frilliest, girliest outfit I can find, mister."

Raphael gulped. "Please don't… I'll be good."

Mona shook her head and turned back to Michelangelo. "Come on, Mikey… what do you say about this one? Not too girly, not too colorful, right? Just a couple of stripes. Add these pants and you're ready to go."

"I guess I have to use something," Mikey sighed in defeat. "Just let me get changed…" She took the clothes Mona offered her and retreated back into her room.

"Now as for you…" Mona said, turning to face the former alligator in the room.

"Aw heck no!" Leatherhead spat. "You won't get me into any of these silly things, no way! My old duds are plenty enough, I'll tell ya! Leave me out of this girly business."

April frowned. "Listen, buddy. You wanna stay in these old rags? Be my guest, but don't come complaining when you're arrested for indecent behavior. Also, when was the last time you ever got new clothes? This jacket is so filthy and torn… and don't get me started on the pants."

"I've never needed new clothes in my life," the sharp-toothed girl shouted. "And touch my jacket one more time, and you and I are gonna wrestle in the mud, sister!"

"I'd like to see that," Raph muttered, which earned him a whack of Splinter's cane. "Ow! Just kidding, sensei…"

"Listen, one set of clothes might have been enough back when you were a mutant," Mona said. "I know I can't shop for clothes very often these days, so I have to settle with what I have. But in a human body? You'll catch a cold in no time, and that's no joke at this time of the year, trust me."

Leatherhead growled, but she had to admit, the mutant girl had a point. "All right, salamander girlie," she grumbled. "But nuthin' too fancy… and I'm keeping the hat, got it?"

* * *

Shredder was in good spirits as he returned to the Technodrome. "Good news," he said as he walked up to Bebop and Rocksteady. "Since Krang's plan failed, I figured out a new way to deal with the pesky Turtles."

"And what way is that, boss?" Rocksteady asked.

Shredder grinned underneath his mask. "I've 'convinced' our dear old friend Baxter Stockman to provide us with the plans for his brand-new version of the Mousers. We've tried to reverse-engineer them in the past, but with his new modifications, it will be a much easier and faster process. Also, he told me that they have a couple new tricks up their sleeves."

"But boss… Mousers don't wear sleeves, do they?" Bebop wondered.

"Yeah," Rocksteady nodded. "They are just walking mouths with legs… just like chickens."

"But don't chickens have wings?" Bebop asked.

"But wings are used to fly, Beebs. Mousers can't fly, everyone knows that."

"It's a matter of speech, you bug-brains!" Shredder shouted. "Just shut up already before you're giving me a brain tumor? Now, where's that brain turned brat?"

"This 'brat' is standing right here, Saki." Krang scowled as she entered the room. "And she would like to know what you were doing all day while I was finishing the last touches of our revenge on the Turtles."

Shredder turned around and looked at Krang's new battle suit. "Well, that's quite the nice doll you have there, Krang." He chuckled. "Oh, I'm sorry. I meant to say action figure. And to answer your question, I pinned that fly-brain Baxter against a wall and stole his new Mouser plans."

"While I agree those will certainly come in handy, I could have used your help here," Krang said in an annoyed tone. "Instructing a whole invading army all by yourself is not an easy task, Shredder. But you might not know that, seeing how you never were successful with accomplishing anything."

"At least I didn't get turned into the fourth Powerpuff Girl," Shredder shot back. "And I don't trust an army that was brought here by a malfunctioning dimensional gate. Are you sure your girl scouts have no side effects from the power surge we experienced? Or you, for that matter?"

"You dare question my superior intellect?" Krang yelled, sounding like a cranky child. "I'll have you know that I did some experiment on the power that flowed into me when I changed. And I believe I now have the capabilities to channel it. My new designs to this suit will assure it. Observe!"

She pointed to a single, robotic Foot Soldier that entered the room. In a swift motion, Krang's suit extended a long pole from its backside, tipped with some sort of energy crystal. Krang took it with both hands and aimed it at the Foot Soldier. A gleaming beam of energy came shooting out of the staff and blasted the robot into billions of pieces.

Krang grinned with satisfaction. "This body might not have been my first choice, but it's definitely an improvement over the blubbering brain I used to be. As I always say, a child genius is always more dangerous than a grown-up idiot."

"You never say that," Shredder grumbled as he crossed his arms. "And while that was an impressive light show, I'm still not convinced that you are in your right state of mind to lead our troops."

"They are still MY troops, Saki," Krang shouted. "I hope I don't have to remind you that you would be nothing without my help. Without my brilliant machines and technology, you would have been locked up in jail a long time ago. You should be grateful. Now, get that Mouser assembly line running, I want my conquest of Earth to be finished within the week!"

"If I had a penny for every time I heard that from you…" Shredder sighed, shaking his head.

* * *

Author's Notes: So yeah... I'm not good with writing a cajun accent.


	6. Changed Masters

Planet Etheria, the camp of the Great Rebellion. Inside her tent, Princess Adora was pacing back and forth with worry.

"What do you mean, you can't turn into She-Ra?" her little friend Kowl asked in a baffled voice.

"Exactly what I said, I cannot transform," Adora said. "I tried using my sword like I always do and nothing happened."

"Maybe you didn't say the correct phrase?" Kowl suggested.

"I've been She-Ra more times than I can remember by now," Adora replied with a scowl. "I know the words by heart. And I tried it several times. And that's not even the worst about it. Look!" She showed him the sword she was holding.

"Wait a minute…" Kowl said as he was fluttering closer. "That's not even the right sword, is it? Also, your hair is much shorter now, did you notice?"

"Do you really think I care about my hairstyle at the moment?" Adora sighed. "And no, it's not my sword. While it does look like a masterfully crafted blade, it's not my Sword of Protection. And if I don't have it, it's no wonder I can't transform. But where could it be?"

"Don't look at me, I don't know," Kowl said, shaking his head. "But this is a big problem. Without She-Ra, how will the Great Rebellion stand up against the Evil Horde?"

"It's going to be tough, that's for sure," Adora sighed. "It's a good thing Bow showed up when I encountered those Horde Troopers raiding that village…"

* * *

Earlier that day…

"Search the whole village! And if you don't find anything, take those villagers away until they tell us where we can find the rebellion," yelled the voice of Leech, the monstrous green Horde commander with the suction hands.

From her hiding place, Adora watched how the Horde Troopers started chaining up the helpless villagers. "Looks like She-Ra is going to have to intervene," she said to herself, reaching for her sword. "For the Honor of Grayskull!"

She raised the sword high up into the air… but nothing happened. "What?" she muttered. "What happened to my sword? Why do I have this blade?"

"Hey! I heard something just behind that building," one of the troopers shouted. Adora gasped and slowly backed off… until she bumped into one of the troopers who appeared right behind her.

"Looks like I caught myself a rebel," the trooper chuckled as he raised his energy rifle. "Not a wrong move, girl!"

"Hey, didn't your parents tell you to never hurt a lady?" a voice behind him said.

"What?" Who said that?" the trooper asked, turning around… only to see a big net flying at him. It wrapped itself around him and threw him on the ground.

Bow, the handsome sharpshooter of the Great Rebellion, lowered his bow. "Net arrows… never leave your home without them."

"Bow," Adora shouted with relief. "Thank goodness you're here."

"A pleasure to help," Bow nodded as he walked closer, quickly tying the net together so the trapped trooper couldn't escape. "But you shouldn't try to face this many enemies when you're clearly in over your head, Adora. You're not She-Ra, you know?"

"I… know that," she sighed. "Sorry, Bow. I guess I was overconfident. But we need to stop Leech and his men before they ship the prisoned villagers off to the Fright Zone."

"Let me take care of them. You stay here and guard this guy, okay?" The archer was ready to leave, but turned back to face her one more time. "Oh, and by the way… I like the new hairstyle." He winked and then ran off to face the Horde.

"My hair?" Adora muttered, running her hands through her hair, which suddenly was so short that it barely reached her chin. Confused, she looked down at the unfamiliar sword that had several colorful gems on its curved blade. "Just where in the world did this come from?"

* * *

"Bow sure was lucky there weren't more of them," Kowl said. "Without She-Ra, he could have been one of the prisoners they wanted to take to the Fright Zone."

"That's why I need to find out what happened to my sword," Adora said. "I need to talk to Light Hope. He's the only one who might know. I'll get Spirit ready and ride to Crystal Castle. You stay here and tell the others that I can't help right now because… Well, I'm sure you will come up with something."

Kowl watched her run out of the tent and crossed his arms. "Oh right," he huffed. "You mean like I always do?"

"Adora?" Just a moment later, Glimmer looked into the tent. "Oh, Kowl. Have you seen Adora?" the princess of Brightmoon asked.

"Well, I, um… I'm sure she's… taking a ride." He nodded. "Yup. She's taking a ride on her horse to, um… clear her head. She's not feeling to great today, you know?"

"What, again?" Glimmer groaned. "That's the fourth time this week. Oh well… tell her to come see me if she still wants to practice, okay?" And she left.

Kowl sighed. "You know, at some point, I won't be able to come up with any more ideas for why Adora's always gone," he mumbled. "At least everyone's buying it… for now."

Meanwhile, Adora was getting her steed Spirit ready to leave. "Get ready for a long ride," she told him as she jumped into his saddle. "I can't turn you into Swift Wind right now, so we can't fly to Crystal Castle."

"That's easy for you to say," Spirit snorted. "You don't have to carry anyone on your back."

"Less wisecracking and more galloping," Adora said. "And let's hope Hordak isn't doing anything too horrible while we're gone."

* * *

But at this exact moment, Hordak wasn't actually in the Fright Zone. He wasn't even on Etheria at all. He was on Eternia, standing in Snake Mountain, surrounded by several of his high-ranked followers, calmly contemplating what he saw in front of him.

"You know, Skeletor," he then calmly said. "During all this time you've been my student, it seems you have kept a lot of secrets from me. Like how you were planning to betray me. And now I think we can add 'Secretly always wanting to be a pretty girl so you can dress up' to that list."

"Oh, ha ha ha!" the young woman standing in front of him snorted. "Very funny, Hordak. I'd be laughing my lower jawbone off, but my face is not just a skull anymore, so I guess that won't be happening. And can you stop talking about that betrayal? I swear, you bring that up every time we talk."

"I would do it again, but at the moment, I am intrigued on how you two managed to screw up a portal spell this bad," Hordak muttered as he stepped forth and looked at Skeletor and Evil-Lyn. "And you obviously have no way to fix this, Skeletor. I think I should just leave you like this."

He took another closer look at the changed form of his former student. Skeletor still kept his former blue skin, but instead of his skeletal grin, he had the beautiful face of a young woman. Luscious, long hair was spilling out from under his cloak, and instead of his Havoc Staff with the ram head, he was holding a new staff with a sparkling jewel on top. Also, his usual armor now included a… skirt? It was a battle skirt made from leather, like some of the female palace guards in the capital of Eternos wear, but still.

"Don't look at me," Evil-Lyn huffed. "I felt something strange while we were conjuring up the portal, so I advised him to cancel the spell. But he wouldn't listen."

"A magic shockwave that not only changed you, but also engulfed Etheria to affect who knows many people living there." Hordak shook his head. "Skeletor, if I weren't already convinced you were a massive failure as a pupil, I most certainly am now."

"How was I supposed to know this would happen?" Skeletor shouted. "Are you suggesting I want to be the laughingstock of my minions? And yes, Mer-Man!" She turned her head, yelling at her followers that were huddled in one corner of the room. "I heard what you said to Trap Jaw about finding a 'nice catch' in the throne room!"

The aquatic humanoid lowered his head in embarrassment, while his fellow minions snickered. "How was I supposed to know that was Skeletor?" he mumbled.

"Though I'm curious, Hordak," Evil-Lyn said. "What did you mean when you said the magic engulfed Etheria?"

Hordak sneered. "That magic mess-up was so spectacular that the wave of magic spilled out of the portal right as it manifested in the Fright Zone. And while I and most of my generals were unaffected, I can't say the same for Modulok." He and his lieutenants stepped aside, revealing a young girl that was even slightly smaller than Skeletor's new form. She looked like a regular human teenager wearing a Horde uniform, and her hair was nothing more than a short mop of bright red.

"Modulok?" Skeletor tilted her head. "Evil beast of a thousand bodies? Your head scientist? That's him?"

"Why are you even surprised, Skeletor?" the small girl asked. "The same thing happened to you. It is quite annoying though, I must admit." She flexed her arms a bit. "This body is much weaker than the biomechanical wonder I turned myself into over the years. Not only did I use my ability to adapt and transform my body however I want to, all the replacement body parts have vanished from my laboratory, too. So until I start again with my experiments and turn this body into the same scientific marvel my old body used to be, I am stuck in this form."

"You see, Skeletor," Hordak said in his gruff voice. "Whatever half-baked plans you came up with this time to overthrow Eternia, it can wait until after we've solved this mess. While I couldn't care less about what you did to yourself, we cannot overlook what else this blunder of yours did. I don't want all of my soldiers suddenly be transformed into weak humans. And according to Shadow Weaver, the magic energy did not just affect the Fright Zone, it went far beyond."

"So that means you're willing to work with me again?" Skeletor grinned, even though her cute face robbed that expression most of its usual menace. "Haha! I knew I could convince you."

"I'm working with you only until we've sorted this out," Hordak grumbled. "And after we've accomplished that, you better pray I'm in a good enough mood not to plummet your sorry carcass into the deepest pit of the Fright Zone after what you've done… or worse!"

Skeletor couldn't help but wince a bit under the booming voice of her old master. She also hated how this human face showed every bit of emotion she went through. It was times like this she much preferred having a skull face.

Evil-Lyn smirked at her master's plight. "Well… that went better than expected, don't you think?"

* * *

When Adora arrived at Crystal Castle, she immediately rushed into the great hall, where Light Hope was residing. The shimmering pillar of pure energy that was his body was wavering restlessly, as if he was anxious about something.

"It is good that you're here, Princess Adora," his booming voice echoed through the hall. "Something unprecedented has happened. The currents of fate and destiny are scrambled… but I can tell on your face that it already affected you."

"If what you're talking about is the reason for the disappearance of my sword, then the answer is yes," Adora replied. She pulled out her new sword. "And this appeared in its place. Do you have any idea what this is?"

"I have seen glimpses through the stream of time and space," Light Hope said. "This weapon once belonged to an ancient kingdom on the moon of a faraway world, a kingdom that does not exist any longer. Yet, the protectors of the royal house still endure and will one day bring back its former glory."

"An ancient kingdom, on another world?" Adora wondered in awe. "Did they ever have contact with Etheria or Eternia?"

"They didn't, and they were never supposed to," Light Hope answered. "But dark forces have meddled with destiny, and now the ancient magic of this moon kingdom was scattered across the galaxy. My assumption is that you must have acquired the powers of one of the Moon Kingdom's protectors, alongside their weapon. But at the same time, your Sword of Protection and all of your abilities as She-Ra along with it, have drifted away."

"That must be it," Adora realized. "My sword must now be in the hands of that protector of the Moon Kingdom. But how will I get it back? Can you bring me to it?"

"I am afraid the problem is much bigger than that," Light Hope said with worry in his voice. "The change of destiny has not only affected you, but several other inhabitants of Etheria and even Eternia. Before you can reclaim your destiny as She-Ra, you must locate those that have also changed and bring them together, so all of you might be returned back to your normal self."

"Etheria and Eternia were affected?" Adora rubbed her temples. "It can never be easy. Who could those other people be?"

"Unfortunately, it looks like these weren't ordinary people. I can't exactly tell you who they are, but I can feel that they are currently residing within Snake Mountain, on Eternia."

"Skeletor's hideout? But that means I have to leave Etheria and the rebellion behind. What if the Horde decides to attack while I'm gone?"

"I'm sorry to say this, Adora," Spirit interjected. "But without your sword, She-Ra won't be able to help anyway. The sooner you get it back, the better. And I am sure Glimmer and the others can hold on for a while."

"He is right," Light Hope agreed. "You need to leave. Go to Eternia, meet up with your brother and bring those that were changed together. Only then can fate be returned on the right path and your powers be returned to you."

"It looks like I have no choice," Adora sighed. "Spirit, you run back to the rebellion camp and tell everyone that I will be gone for several days. I'd love to take you along, but the rebellion needs every man they can get."

Spirit snorted. "I am a steed, not a man. But I get what you're saying. I will return as fast as I can. I would be worried, but I know that you are in good hands with He-Man." He let out a sharp whinny and galloped out of the castle.

"We have no time to lose," Light Hope said. "I will now open the portal. The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull will await you on the other side, she already knows what must be done. Good luck, Princess Adora."

* * *

Skeletor agreed to let Hordak and the few men he brought with him in Snake Mountain for the duration of their truce. He even provided them with personal chambers and a technological workshop.

Modulok was busy settling in. He stood in front of a huge console and flipped several switches. Colorful lights started dancing across its surface and with a resounding hum, the machines in the room came to life.

"The technology is not nearly as advanced as inside the Fright Zone, but it will have to do for now," the transformed Horde scientist said as she took a look around the room. "Now where are those boxes with my tools?"

At that moment, the lumbering form of Two-Bad, Skeletor's two-headed henchman, came trudging into the room, carrying a huge pile of boxes. "Skeletor told me you needed these," his left head growled.

"Put them down in that corner over there," Modulok told him. "And gently, please, you big oaf! Those aren't wooden clubs or rusty swords, those are delicate pieces of technology."

Two-Bad just snorted as he dropped the boxes to the floor. A grimace of frustration appeared on Modulok's cute face.

"What?" Two-Bad grumbled, once again using his left, purple head to speak. "Don't give me that look, I'm not as dumb as you think. I've used high-tech weapons before."

"That was me, you idiot!" the right, blue head said. "Just because we share one body doesn't mean you are as skilled as me."

"Oh, give me a break!" the purple head shouted back. "That was ages ago. At this point, I know everything you do."

"Don't even dare comparing yourself to me," the blue head snarled. "I've always been the better fighter."

Modulok watched Two-Bad's heads banter for a bit. "Interesting," he said. "You have one body, but two separate minds. I often added a second head to my old body, sometimes even more. But no matter how many body parts I had, I was still in control of everything. There was one mind, thousands of possible bodies."

"It wasn't my choice to get stuck with this moron," Two-Bad's blue head said. "We used to be two bounty hunters. I'm Tuvar and he's Baddrah. But Skeletor's magic fused us into one body after we failed a mission."

"Yeah, and now I'm stuck with this stupid know-it-all," the purple Baddrah shouted.

"You think I'm happy sharing one body with a moronic dimwit like you?" Tuvar shouted back. "We wouldn't even be in this predicament if you had used your head for once!"

"Oooooh, that's it!" Baddrah growled, pulling back the fist on his side of the body.

"Wait, you idiot!" Tuvar yelled. "Don't…" He had no time to finish his sentence before the fist hit his face.

"Owwww!" Baddrah yelped in pain as the both of them stumbled back. "Dangit, that hurt!"

"Of course it hurts," Tuvar snarled as he rubbed his nose. "We share the same body!"

Modulok watched their exchange with exasperation. "Both of you are idiots," he grumbled. "Two minds in one body can never be an effective solution. I really don't know what Skeletor was thinking when he merged you two. He should have merged your minds alongside your bodies. But…" The red-haired girl gave them a wicked smile. "If you'd like, I can try to merge your minds with my machines. Just a couple of experiments…"

"What? You want to make me dumber by merging me with that buffoon?" Tuvar shouted. "Over my dead body!"

"Hey, you're the buffoon!" Baddrah shot back.

Modulok sighed. "Just… get out of my workshop." She turned around to face the console. While she was working, she heard the argument between Two-Bad's heads continue on the corridor outside. "Those fools never realize that their body is a gift," she muttered to herself. "If they only learned to accept the other as part of themselves, their minds would become one all by themselves. But what can you expect? Not everyone can have my superior intellect…"

About an hour after Modulok had settled in, Hordak entered the workshop. Perched on his shoulder was Imp, his personal, small-sized minion. "Well, Modulok? What do you have to report?" the leader of the Evil Horde asked.

"Quite an interesting amount of facts, actually," Modulok said, looking up from her instruments. "What bothered me the most was that in this body, I was unable to work at my usual efficiency. I tried remembering how my usual creations were made, but a certain amount of information was missing. As much as it pains me to admit, I am unable to recreate my former body parts or any of the more advanced weapons for the Evil Horde."

"That is very unfortunate," Hordak grimaced as he crossed his arms. "I took you into the Horde because your skills were incredibly useful to me. I assume you have some good news as well?"

"Yeah," Imp snickered as he spread his tiny wings and flew away from Hordak's shoulder, circling Modulok's head. "You better have some good news."

Hearing the threatening undertone in his master's voice, Modulok nervously wiped a bit of sweat off her forehead. She knew all too well that useless creatures had no place within the ranks of the Horde. That's why Hordak had decided to use most of their Etherian prisoners as living batteries to charge the Fright Zone with energy. Modulok definitely had no intention of ending up like those wretched souls. Also, while Imp's behavior was immensely annoying for almost any other member of the Evil Horde that wasn't Hordak, she didn't dare say that to her leader's face.

"W-w-well…" she stuttered. "I have indeed some good news. While my mind isn't the same as it used to be, I still found out that its capabilities and knowledge once belonged to another. Just like Skeletor's magic was swapped with a new, unfamiliar kind of magic, my genius intellect was switched with somebody else's."

Hordak narrowed his gaze upon her. "Explain."

"My theory is that the magic surge did not just affect Eternia and Etheria, great Hordak. Instead, we were affected by the magic of a faraway planet, whose magic and culture is strange and much different from ours. For example, I analyzed certain strands of memory floating around my brain that told me of something they call 'high school'. I searched through the available information and realized that the woman who was once the owner of this body once belonged to a mighty sect of warriors called 'Senshi'. And through some sort of accident, I was not only able to acquire that warrior's body and memories, but also her magic."

"A new kind of magic?" Hordak started stroking his chin. "That could be useful. But can you control it?"

"Are you kidding me?" Imp cackled. "Since when has old bulge-brain here ever any sort of experience with magic? That's more of a Shadow Weaver thing, don't you agree, boss?"

Modulok gave the tiny minion a frown. She was determined to make him eat his words. "Oh, I can most certainly control it," she assured Hordak. "I conducted some experiments, searched the previous owner's memories on information how to use it, practiced with it and tried channeling it through my equipment until I finally managed to make perfect use of it. Allow me to demonstrate!"

She spread her fingers, aiming her hand at the hovering form of Imp, who just looked at her in confusion. "Hey, what are you…?"

"Shabon Spray!" While the exclamation itself sounded harmless and admittedly, a little bit silly, Modulok spoke in a voice that resonated nothing but cold ruthlessness. A small shower of seemingly harmless bubbles sprayed forth from her hand… and while most of them flew past Imp's body without affecting him in any way, one of them grew bigger and bigger, until it was big enough to engulf his entire body… which it promptly did!

Imp tried gasping for air as he was trapped inside the floating bubble of water. He tried paddling out of it with his tiny limbs, but he was unable to leave.

Modulok smirked with sadistic satisfaction. "As you can see, this 'Senshi's' ability gave her a considerable amount of hydrokinetic abilities. She can manipulate water to create mist in the air, create currents and even lowers its temperature, creating dangerous ice. One way to effectively use this power in battle is to shut off the enemy's air supply, as I just demonstrated with Imp.

"Interesting," Hordak mused. "While I've seen water and frost magic before, it was never quite like this. Also, this would be the first time the Horde would have someone with such powers in its ranks. Very well, Modulok. Until we find a way to retrieve your old body and mind, you may use this new magic to our advantage. I order you to continue searching the Senshi's former mind to find any sort of information that we could benefit from."

"Most certainly, great Hordak!" Modulok bowed her head as Hordak turned around to leave.

"Oh, and release Imp from this bubble," Hordak added, as he waited in front of the workshop's door, his back turned towards the red-haired scientist. "And in the future, please inform me before you use one of my minions for your experiments."

Imp gasped for air as he was freed from his watery prison. Almost out of breath, he used the last ounce of his strength to flutter back to Hordak's shoulder. "H-h-h… hordak!" he wheezed. "Y-you could have told her to free me a little bit sooner."

"Oh, don't be so overly dramatic, Imp," Hordak smirked. "I know how much each of my minions can endure. Do you think I would have dropped Mantenna into a pit this often if I didn't know he would survive it? I'm not one to waste perfectly good personnel." He chuckled a bit to himself and left the workshop.

* * *

In the meantime, blissfully unaware of everything that was going on, Prince Adam was taking a nap in the gardens of the royal palace in Eternos. He lay on a comfortable couch, enjoying the warm rays of the sun upon his face. Curled up at his feet was friend Cringer, the pet tiger of the royal family. Every now and then, the prince would eat some grapes from a bowl standing next to him.

But his peace and quiet was fiercely interrupted, when Orko, the court magician, poofed into existence right next to him. "Adam!" the tiny wizard shouted in excitement. "You'll never guess who arrived at the palace!"

Adam let out a small yelp of surprise as he was jolted awake. Cringer was so frightened by the sudden noise, that he jumped backwards, almost knocking over the couch and flinging Adam to the ground. "Oh, Orko…" the prince groaned, rubbing his head. "Whatever the big news are, I'm sure they could have waited until after my nap."

"B-b-but…" the tiny Trollan stuttered. "It's someone I'm sure you're going to be happy to see…"

"Is it another one of my father's boring delegates?" Adam sighed. "Because I know I won't show my face around the throne room if that's the case." He looked at Orko. "Or is Skeletor attacking the palace with his evil warriors?"

"Um… no, that's not really it," Orko said.

"If it's not important, I'd really prefer going back to sleep." Adam let out a yawn as he lay back down.

"Wiser words have never been spoken…" Cringer murmured as he joined his master back for another nap.

The loud sound of someone clearing his throat made him sigh again. "Orko, what is it now? I told you, if it's not important, then…"

"Adam!" shouted the stern voice of his father, King Randor.

Adam gasped in surprise. This time, he was the one who jumped as he realized that his father had stepped next to him, alongside his childhood friend Teela, his mother and…

"Do you think a visit from your twin sister is not important?" Adora asked with a sly smirk. "Dearest brother, I am hurt."

"Oh, don't mind him," Teela grumbled. "Lazing around the garden is a normal afternoon's activity for him."

"Just because it's normal for him does not mean it should be condoned," King Randor said. To say he was disgruntled would be putting it mildly. "Adam, while I admit that your sister's visit was sudden and unexpected, you have no excuse for wasting your time in the garden like this."

"Let's not start a family fight right after Adora arrived," Queen Marlena said with a sigh. "Adam, please go and make yourself presentable. Adora's visit is a joyous occasion that must be celebrated"

"Yes, I agree," Randor said, giving his daughter a gentle smile, alongside a hug. "Celebrated with a royal feast!"

"I don't understand… I thought you were back on Etheria," Adam said as he stood up. "Did something happen? Does the rebellion need aid?"

"Quite a few things happened, actually," Adora answered. "And there are a few things I need to tell you…" She leaned a bit closer to hug him, but she used that opportunity to whisper in his ear: "In private."

"Oh… I understand," Adam nodded. "We really have some catching up to do."

"But only after you two are prepared for the feast," their mother said sternly. "Adam, you have grape juice on your chin. And Adora… what's with this hairstyle?" She disapprovingly flicked a bit of her daughter's short hair.

"Mother, please…" Adora muttered as she tried to come up with a quick excuse. "Short hair is just… practical in the heat of battle."

"While I definitely agree with that, I've never worn my hair as short as this," Teela commented. "If anything, I would say that Adam is the one who needs a haircut. It's longer than yours at this point."

"Can we please not talk about my hair at the moment?" Adam asked with annoyance as he glared at Teela. "As mother said, we need to get ready… are you coming, Adora?"

"Ah, yes… right away," she nodded and followed her brother.

As soon as they were out of hearing range from their parents and Teela, Adam whispered: "Okay, what is really going on? I know for a fact the Sorceress wouldn't open the portal between Eternia and Etheria if there wasn't a good reason. Something bad happened, am I right?"

"Something very bad," Adora told him. "We need to leave this feast as soon as possible and make our way to Snake Mountain, preferably with some backup."

"To Skeletor?" Adam asked in surprise. "Why?"

"Because if we don't, it might be the end of She-Ra…"


	7. The Cosmic Enforcer

The two Setsunas wasted no time and brought the other Senshi to the Gates of Time, where the last member of the trio, Krangtsuna, was busy arranging a network of portals through time and space.

Usagi and her friends marveled at the beauty of the place. While they all had been here before, it still didn't happen too often that they had the chance of seeing Setsuna's post at the edge of time.

"I know what I'm doing here seems like a huge contradiction," Krangtsuna said, her back still turned towards her visitors. "After all, portals like this were what caused the whole disaster in the first place. However, this is the only chance we have to actually reach the other worlds and correct what was made wrong."

A few of the girls let out short gasps of surprise when the towering robot-woman turned around to face them, revealing the brain creature controlling her from within her stomach. "I know, I am not the most pleasant sight," she admitted. "But one advantage this new form gives me is a superior intellect and understanding of technology that surpasses even the marvels of the Silver Millennium."

"Oh, don't just stand there slack-jawed," Skeletsuna said. "An android version of me with a brain inside isn't much more shocking than me with a skull-face."

"S-sorry," Usagi said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to stare, Setsuna."

"And I thought I was the most surreal-looking one," Ami muttered. She approached Krangtsuna with interest. "This foreign technology is fascinating. You know, I think the two of us could conduct a series of amazing experiments together and…"

"Don't let this way of thinking control you, Ami," Ganontsuna said in her commanding voice as she stepped up to the other two Setsunas. "You absorbed certain parts from the individual who used to own this form. Not just his appearance and physical abilities, but also shards of his personality. Remember that within, you are still Ami Mizuno, the girl destined to be Sailor Mercury. You are not a bio-technology scientist."

Ami nodded. "You are right… this train of thought surprised me, too. I should think more careful before I speak from now on." He shook her head to clear her mind… that is, the one she was currently wearing on top of her shoulders. The other one was stored in a huge box she was carrying, alongside all the other body parts she was not using at the moment. "Could you maybe help me build something that helps me move this thing around more efficiently? I have the feeling I shouldn't just leave these other parts behind."

"I think I already have an idea," Krangtsuna said. She looked at her other two selves. "You two instruct the others while I help Ami."

"Well, what else is there to say?" Skeletsuna asked. "You can all see the three portals in front of you. Three portals leading to three different worlds that we must visit."

"Let me take a guess," Mamoru spoke up. "To solve this problem faster, we'll have to split up into several groups and visit these worlds at the same time."

"Now wait an applebuckin' second," Rei shouted. She winced when she once again heard her voice speak in the accent she was forced to use ever since she transformed. "Y'all wanna visit only three worlds? Didn't ya tell us that there were three more?"

"That is correct," Ganontsuna nodded. "Eternia and Hyrule, as well as the parallel version of Earth where the mutated animals are from, are the three worlds we need to visit most urgently, since the powers of three Senshi were lost on each of them."

"And visiting the other worlds with no backup would be unwise and dangerous," Luna added. "You all need Setsuna to return back to the Gates of Time. And who knows if you can overcome the dangers of the other worlds all on your own."

"Exactly," Skeletsuna nodded. "That's why we will visit Mobius, Equestria and the Mushroom Kingdom only after we're done on the other three worlds."

"So I have to wait until it's my turn then? Eh, I guess it's not too bad," Minako shrugged.

"Easy for you to say, you're not stuck on four hooves," Rei grumbled.

"I don't mind staying like this for a little longer," Chibiusa grinned. "That means I get to keep all these fun toys for a longer time. I mean, just look at all this stuff I've got down here." She reached into her clown car and pulled out a hammer, a huge paintbrush, a mechanical turtle with a wind-up key in its back, a small grey kitten… "Huh? Diana, how did you get in there?"

Diana gasped for air. "Finally! Small lady, you stuffed me in there by mistake before you threw that banana peel down onto the street, and you've left me there ever since. Please, don't ever do that again."

"You did WHAT?" Usagi screeched. "So that prank was YOU? You brat, I should have known that was you!"

"Eep!" Chibiusa quickly pulled her head down into the safety of her small vehicle. It didn't occur to her before just how much bigger her future mother had become with her transformation. "Usagi, you're a very scary mutant…"

"Who are you calling a mutant?" Usagi yelled.

Michiru cleared her throat. "Usagi? Technically, you are one at the moment… and so am I."

"Can we get to business, please?" Makoto spoke up. "So, we're splitting up into three teams. And I suppose those who got their powers switched with inhabitants from the same world should probably be together on one team."

"Which means Michiru and I can't be on the same team together," Haruka sighed. "Sorry, honey."

"It's okay," the alligator-girl smiled. "At least I have Usagi with me."

"That worries me even more…" Haruka said.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Usagi huffed. "But if we're forming teams, I wanna be on the same one as Chibiusa."

"What?" Chibiusa was surprised. "I didn't think you'd care so much, Usagi."

"I don't, I just want to keep an eye on you," Usagi shouted down at the smaller turtle. "Who knows what pranks you'll pull otherwise." She turned to face her feline mentor. "Are you coming too, Luna?"

"Actually, I think it would be better if every team had one moon cat accompanying them," Luna said. "And since Diana probably wants to stay with Chibiusa, I should join another group."

"I'll go with Makoto to Hyrule," Minako said as she flew up into the air to give her tall friend a hug. "And Artemis can come with me."

"So if Diana goes to Mutant Earth, and Artemis to Hyrule… I guess I'll join the Eternia team," Luna decided.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Mutant Earth? Seriously"

"It was a name I came up with, okay?" Luna grumbled. "I don't want to say 'the parallel version of Earth with the mutants and robots' every time we talk about it."

Rei shrugged. "I guess I'll go to Eternia then."

"So let me recap," Mamoru said. "Team Mutant Earth will be Krangtsuna, Usagi, Michiru, Chibiusa and Diana. Team Hyrule will be Ganontsuna, Hotaru, Makoto, Minako and Artemis. And Team Eternia will be Skeletsuna, Ami, Haruka and Luna. That leaves only me."

"But aren't you coming with me, Mamo-chan?" Usagi asked, showing her boyfriend her best pair of puppy-eyes.

"Your team already consists of five people, however," Skeletsuna interjected. "If I may make a suggestion: Eternia is ruled by the royal house of Randor. If we get into contact, which we most likely will, at least one member of our own royal house should be present. To represent the future kingdom of Crystal Tokyo, you know? And since Usagi and Small Lady are already visiting Mutant Earth, it would be best for Mamoru to be there."

"That is quite an honor, and an important task," Mamoru realized. "But I will do my best to represent all of us."

"I guess that makes sense," Usagi reluctantly admitted. "I mean, he is a prince. And while I am a princess, it simply wouldn't do to if other royals saw me like I am now… all scaly and monstrous…"

Rei rolled her eyes. "Usagi's back in her own little world," she muttered. "Let's just start the mission, okay?"

"Just in time," Ami said with a smile as she joined the others. "Setsuna… I mean Krangtsuna just helped me turn this box into a floating carriage with anti-gravity thrusters and a space compacting department. Just where did you get all this incredible technology?"

Krangtsuna smirked. "A guardian of time never reveals her secrets."

"Which reminds me…" Ganontsuna commented with a deep frown. "If we want to use these portals to traverse to other worlds, we still need to deal with the Cosmic Enforcer."

"Who is that?" Luna wondered.

"An agent of neutrality," Skeletsuna explained. "Like me, he's a guardian himself, and he takes his job very seriously. Even if the streams of fate are changed like they are now, it's very possible that we still need to convince him that it needs to be corrected. Otherwise, he might not allow us to put foot on these other worlds."

"I suppose knocking him out and doing it anyways is out of the question, huh?" Makoto suggested with a weak grin.

"That would be a very bad idea," Krangtsuna grimly said. "Not only is he a very ancient and powerful warrior on his own, but he has more or less the role of a cosmic law enforcer. Resisting him would draw the attention of forces we could never oppose. The best result would be that we'd be trapped in these forms, stripped of all our special powers and the ability to make use of the Gates of Time, and be stuck with the knowledge that Crystal Tokyo will never come to pass."

"That's the BEST result?" Minako's eyes widened. "Now I wanna know what the worst result would be."

Krangtsuna glared at the bat girl. "Complete and total erasure from existence and history."

Minako gulped nervously. "Forget I asked."

The three Setsunas stepped in front of the gate. Skeletsuna raised her staff, while the other two helped her focus her power. After a while, a strange ripple appeared in the air above them. Slowly, a tall figure materialized. On the outside, it looked like a normal human wearing a strange, red helmet that covered most of his head, with only his mouth and nose being visible in a small opening. He was holding a long staff, and from his belt hung some sort of futuristic-looking gun. He took a moment to gaze upon the assembled people in front of him. They could all feel the power radiating from him. Every slight idea of ever opposing him that was still present in their minds, vanished in an instant in his presence.

"Setsuna Meioh." he called out in a commanding voice. "Formerly known as Sailor Pluto. It has been a long time."

The three versions of Setsuna stepped forth as one, but only Ganontsuna addressed him directly. "Cosmic Enforcer Zodac. It is good to see you."

"I am afraid the feeling is not mutual," Zodac said. "I know what you plan to do. Your actions violate the laws of fate. People from your world must not set foot on either of these worlds you have opened pathways to. I will not allow it."

Rei and Haruka had always been two of the most headstrong Senshi, and both looked like they wanted to protest, but just one look from Zodac made them change their mind and stay silent.

"Believe me, I know exactly why contact between certain worlds is forbidden, Zodac," Ganontsuna spoke up. "And normally, I wouldn't have done this. But there are extraordinary circumstances. I'm sure you noticed the power surge throughout time and space that happened, right?"

"I am indeed aware," Zodac stoically responded. "A power surge you caused because you connected your mind to that of another guardian. May I remind you that even contact between guardians from different worlds is only allowed in very special cases?"

"And it was a special case," the guardian of time defended herself. "It may be true that the actual surge was triggered by me as I tried to contact the sorceress from Hyrule. However, given the fact that there are three different groups on these worlds that plan to manipulate time or space to their own ends, there is a considerable chance that the surge would have happened either way, sooner or later. It is a guardian's duty to stop such manipulations from happening."

"If the perpetrator at fault is from the guardian's same world, then yes," Zodac nodded. "These villains and the results of their actions were under the responsibility of this sorceress and her double. What happens on Hyrule does not concern you."

"Even if she's unable to take care of the situation herself?" Ganontsuna asked. "Sorceress Cia, as well as her double Lana, were taken captive and were unable to stop them from using Hyrule's Gate of Time for their selfish purposes. Can we be certain that their meddling with the time stream would not affect other worlds? The same goes for the other two villainous organizations. They created extremely powerful portals at the same time. Even without my interference, there could have been something else that triggered the surge. It was a very delicate situation. And either way, it happened. And now we have to deal with the consequences."

"To risk an even bigger change to the tides of fate?" Zodac shook his head. "You've already made a mistake. Why should I believe that your attempt to solve this won't result in another disaster?"

"Because as guardians, it is our duty to uphold the balance of our worlds," Ganontsuna exclaimed as she stood in front of him, tall and proud. "These villains won't care what their actions will destroy, as long as they can reach their own goals. As soon as they find out that they are capable of meddling with fate even more, they will gladly take the chance."

Zodac gave it some thought. "While evil is necessary to balance out good, it is also most likely to be seduced by the call of power. That is a valid point."

Ganontsuna nodded. "And if you don't give us the chance to fix everything ourselves, who else is supposed to take care of it? Lana and Cia are prisoners. The mutant world does not even have its own guardian, as far as I am aware. And you can't expect the guardians of Eternia and Etheria to take care of everything by themselves. And you can't intervene. You are an agent of balance, Zodac. It is your job only to interfere when the balance of fate itself is threatened."

"Which it was because of you," the cosmic enforcer reminded her. "Still, you are not quite wrong. Your world has already been connected to the others, the damage has been done. And while it is the duty of the guardians to act by themselves, you will need to take those whose destinies were changed along with you, to put everything back in place."

"Does that mean you'll allow us to go?" Usagi blurted out. She finally found the courage to say something. She was the princess, after all. And Sailor Pluto was one of her Senshi.

Zodac looked down at the transformed Senshi. "I will make an exception… this once. Go to these other worlds, find those who you switched fates with and claim what is rightfully yours. But keep in mind that I will be watching you. Should you betray my trust and violate fate even further, the countermeasures I will take shall be swift and severe!" And in another ripple of space, the cosmic enforcer vanished.

"Well, that takes care of that," Krangtsuna sighed. "But you heard him: We must go to these worlds, fix everything and leave as soon as we accomplished that. No getting sidetracked by anything… and also make sure not to get too attached to anyone you'll meet. You won't be able to see them ever again when all of this is done and over. Understood?"

Usagi sighed. She had been hoping to make some new friendships on these other worlds. "Understood."

"Then let's not waste any more time," Skeletsuna said. "Teams, gather in front of your respective portal."

The three Setsunas each stepped in front of one portal, and their respective teams joined up with them. No more words were exchanged, only small glances, nods and smiles. Everyone knew what the other was thinking and wished each other luck silently.

Skeletsuna raised her staff. "You all ready? Let's go!"

And they all were engulfed by a bright light.

* * *

A young girl was swimming down the rapids of Zora River, the longest river in all of Hyrule. As she was a Zora, Hyrule's race of aquatic fish-people, swimming in this fast current wasn't dangerous to her at all.

With an elegant somersault, she leapt through the air and onto solid ground. For normal eyes, the red-scaled girl still looked like a child, but looks can be deceiving, as the Zoras could grow old hundreds of years. And Finley already saw herself as a young woman.

"I wonder if I'll see my future husband today," she said with a dreamy smile. "Maybe it's a handsome Hylian… then I'll be his girlfriend, just like Lady Mipha and Link." She giggled.

A sudden commotion further down the river caught her attention. "Those sound like Lizalfos. I better hide… wait! Is someone calling for help?" She quickly climbed on top of a big boulder and took a closer look. And indeed, a pack of savage lizard-men were chasing another girl along the banks of Zora River. At first, Finley thought she was a Rito, one of the bird-people that lived near the Hebra Mountains. But this girl didn't have any feathers at all. Instead, she had a huge pair of floppy ears and a pair of arms that resembled leathery wings like those of a bat or Keese. In fact, her entire appearance could be described as a cross between a Hylian and a Keese. She even had short, lavender-colored hair cut in a bob. Finley had never seen a creature like her in her whole life.

"Heeeelp!" the fleeing girl shouted in a squeaky, high-pitched voice. "Somebody help meeeeee!"

"Quick, come this way!" Finley shouted. "We'll hide in the river." She quickly jumped down the boulder and ran up to the girl, taking her head. "Come on, I'll help you. Can you swim?"

"Wh-wh-what?" The weird Keese girl was surprised at the sudden appearance of the young Zora. "Who are you? W… wait… swim? Like, in water?" She paled. "Nononono, that's a terrible idea…"

"Oh, don't worry," Finley reassured her. "If you can't swim, I'll hold onto you, I promise. Ready?" She pulled the other girl to the water.

"No, wait, waaaait!" the bat girl screeched, but it was too late. Finley had already jumped and pulled her new friend along with her. The Keese girl let out a terrified squeak… and suddenly, Finley could only scream in pain as a huge electric shock cursed through the water. "AAAAAAAAAAH! Wh-what? Electric arrows?"

"N… No…" the other girl muttered weakly. "It was me… Touching water… was a really bad idea. I'm an electric Keese, after all…" With the last ounce of her strength, she managed to pull herself out of the water, before she was forced to shock the Zora again. She gasped and wheezed as she crawled onto the riverbank. She looked behind herself and noticed with relief that Finley had made it to dry land as well. She looked back in front of herself… and then up into the cruel eyes of a Lizalfos, who had surrounded her with his fellow lizardmen.

"Sssee, boysss?" he hissed and cackled. "I told you I sssaw one of the little traitorsss run thisss way." He raised his spear. "Ready to die, little abomination?"

"Please, no…" Tears were running down the Keese's eyes. "I didn't ask to be turned into this… it's not my fault…"

"That'sss too bad," the Lizalfos growled. "But I think I'll kill you anyway. Sssay goodbye…"

The Keese girl closed her eyes… but nothing happened. Confused, she opened her eyes and saw that the Lizalfos leader's limp body was falling down, impaled by an arrow.

"What?" Finley, who had watched in confusion, looked to where the arrow came from. "Link?"

It wasn't Link, however. It was a tall, Hylian girl with long, brown hair she was wearing in a ponytail. She lowered the bow she had just used to fire the arrow from. "Get away from those girls, or I'll shoot again!" she shouted.

"It'sss not the ssstupid hero," one of the other Lizalfos hissed. "It'sss jussst a normal girl… get her!"

"Big mistake…" the archer girl muttered. She raised her head and shouted: "Minako, now!"

One of the lizardmen had no time to react when out of the sky, another winged figure came swooping down, kicking him so hard that he was slammed into the cliffs behind him. "Here I go," she shouted as she took a second Lizalfos down with a series of fast kicks. "Hey, I'm getting the hang of this kick-fighting pretty quick, don't you think, Makoto?"

"Just keep your guard up, Minako, there's more of them," Makoto warned her as she raised her blade.

"No worries, I can deal with them," Minako smirked as she dove back into battle. "Dananananananana, Bat-Mina!"

"A reference to that old, American TV show?" Ganontsuna muttered as she stepped up to them, shaking her head. "Kids…" With a yell, she hurled a sphere of magical energy at a Lizalfos archer, who was just about to shoot an arrow of his own at Makoto.

"Run! They're too ssstrong!" Several of the reptiles tried to escape, but they stopped dead in their tracks when they heard a creepy giggle right above their heads. They tilted their heads in confusion when they saw a floating imp above their heads, her shoulder-length, violet hair swaying in the wind.

"Going somewhere?" Hotaru asked them with a smirk. She snapped her fingers… and suddenly, several huge boulders appeared out of thin air, crashing down on the hapless Lizalfos, before they had any chance to react. Soon enough, the remaining lizardmen were buried under a pile of rubble. Hotaru let out another giggle. "That was fun! Too bad Chibiusa-chan wasn't here to see it."

"Hotaru, come over here. I think that were the last of them," Ganontsuna called her.

The imp of Saturn nodded. "Coming, Setsuna-mama." She quickly floated down to join her friends.

Meanwhile, Makoto was helping the other two girls to their feet. "Are you all right?" she asked with worry. "Did those creatures hurt you?"

"I'm… I'm fine," the Keese girl said with a shaking voice. "But, that Zora girl… she wanted to help me, but then I accidentally shocked her… I think she needs help."

"Zora's Domain…" Finley muttered, barely able to utter a coherent sentence. "My village, upstream… it's safe there."

"You heard her, guys, let's move!" Makoto said. "If her village is over there, we need to get her help."

"But don't you remember what that Zodac guy said?" Artemis spoke up. "We aren't supposed to do anything except find those who switched powers with you guys. Is it really a good idea to get into contact with inhabitants of this world?"

"Well, we have to find them somehow," Ganontsuna said. "And that village might be a good place to get some information."

"And besides, no matter what that jerkish enforcer said," Makoto grumbled. "I'm not leaving a couple of injured children to fend for themselves."

"I'm with you," Minako nodded. "You take the fishy girl, I'm gonna help her friend." She turned to face the Keese girl with a smile. "Hey there, I'm Minako. What's your name?"

The transformed monster girl looked up at the slightly taller bat girl that looked so similar to her, yet still so different. She was confused, exhausted, hurt and afraid. But she had a feeling that these strangers had no intention of hurting her, unlike her former fellow monsters. "T… Tsukasa," she finally said. "My name is Tsukasa."


	8. The Sword and the Horse

Makoto stood near the inn, looking down at the waters of Zora's Domain. After their arrival, Finley's parents were so grateful that they allowed them to stay at their inn for free. Of course, Finley herself and her new Keese friend were brought to a healer immediately.

The Senshi of Jupiter gazed upon the moonlight, as it was reflected off her new blade. 'Can I still call myself the Senshi of Jupiter?' she thought. 'We all lost our Senshi powers. Instead, I can feel something different within me. Something that binds me to this sword.'

She frowned. For a moment, she thought that all she heard was just the sound of the flowing waters. But didn't she hear something else just now? It almost sounded like a whisper. Did it come… from her blade?

What she definitely heard were the sudden flaps of wings, when Minako came swooping down in her new bat form, landing next to her. "I was just at the healer's place," she told Makoto. "The kids are better now. The Zora priest seemed a bit unhappy to treat Tsukasa, but he agreed to take care of her as well after hearing how she tried to escape from the lizard guys."

"That's good to hear," Makoto nodded. "I know Setsuna said that we shouldn't grow too attached to the people of this world, but would still feel bad if a young girl like that would be injured."

"Of course we'll try to help other people," Minako insisted. "We're Senshi, that's what we do."

"But are we still?" Makoto wondered. "We lost our powers. So much about us has changed. Remember the battle? I used that bow and the sword as if I had used it my entire life. I didn't even hesitate when I started shooting down those lizards."

"So?" Minako shrugged. "Nothing we haven't done before. We've dusted Youmas, Daimons and so many other creatures before. You just used magical attacks instead of swords and arrows. We're not only the protectors of the princess, Mako-chan. We're also protectors of peace and the innocent. And these kids don't want to hurt anyone. Saving them was the right thing to do."

"I'm not disagreeing there," Makoto said. "I'm just afraid that we lose sight of who we really are. Remember what Hotaru did? She wasn't even worried that she squashed those enemies under a huge boulder. She even laughed. That's not something she would have done before."

"Setsuna said we'd take on certain personality traits," Minako reminded her. "We just need to find those people who have our powers and switch back with them."

"I guess so," Makoto sighed. "I think I'm just worried that over time, these personality changes will increase. I already feel somehow attached to this world, even though I've never seen it before. Remember what Finley's mother did when we first met her? She gave me a hug and called me 'Lin-Lin' for some reason. Maybe she knew the former owner of this blade?"

"Could be," Minako replied. "Maybe you should ask her in the morning. Also, make sure to get some sleep. I can't rest yet, for some reason… maybe being a bat really has made me nocturnal. See you in the morning, Makoto." And with another flap of her wings, she was back in the air.

For a while, Makoto watched her friend fly against the silhouette of the moon. Then she looked back at her sword. "Who is your previous owner?" she muttered. "What person was he?"

Everything was quiet for a moment, and Makoto once again heard nothing but the gentle flow of the water. But suddenly, a soft whisper reached her ears, and this time, she was certain that she didn't imagine it.

"My master… is the reincarnation of the heroes of the past, and an embodiment of courage…"

Makoto blinked in surprise. That voice… it came from the sword itself. She unsheathed it and noticed that it was surrounded by a soft glow. "Did… did you just talk?" she wondered. "Who are you?"

She let out a gasp, when a spark of light emerged from the blade, turning into the form of a strange figure with a feminine face and blue skin.

"I am Fi," the mysterious girl said in a strangely resonating voice, as she was floating in the air before Makoto. "A servant of the goddess and the spirit of the Master Sword, which was passed down from hero to hero over countless generations. I have noticed that my master is no longer in possession of the blade. Also, there might be a 78% chance that he is no longer bound to it. Instead… you are. I must inquire… what is your name?"

Makoto just stared at the weird floating girl. "I… I am Makoto… what's going on here?"

Fi bowed her head. "Mistress Makoto, it is an honor to meet you. For the time being, the Master Sword and I shall be at your service. I also sensed an increase of confusion in your voice. Allow me to explain everything to you that you need to know…"

* * *

Ghirahim opened his eyes as he was lying on his master's couch. He then sat up straight and stared into the distance. "She's here…" he grumbled. "Sniveling little servant of the goddess, I can sense you…"

"Who can you sense?" Zant asked with confusion as he stepped next to him.

"That accursed blade spirit inhabiting the sword of the hero…" Ghirahim muttered. "She's been dormant for so many eons… but her presence is unmistakable. It's her… Oh, how I've longed to put her in her place… snap that little blade of hers in half… ever since I've first heard that irritating stutter she calls a voice…"

Zant frowned behind his mask. "Don't you think you're a bit obsessed with that girl? She's just an insignificant sword spirit. The one holding her blade is the one we should be worried about."

"How dare you dismiss the importance of a blade?" Ghirahim shouted as he angrily stepped in front of the Usurper King. "We are an extension of our masters' wills! We are their most important servants that exist! You WISH you'd be as close to Lord Ganondorf as I am, you quivering speck of a Twili…"

Zant chuckled. "Have I hit a nerve, demon lord? Then it is true. You let your judgement be clouded by your obsession with that Fi girl. I wonder what our master would say if he heard about this…"

"You're one to talk!" Ghirahim snapped. "What about your own obsession with the Twilight Princess? Don't think I haven't overheard you mumbling in your sleep about your revenge. You even wanted us to waste time by ONCE AGAIN turning her back into that imp form! Because that worked out sooo well for you the last time."

"Don't mock me!" Zant shouted back. "My reasons for revenge are much different than yours. Midna has made my life a living hell!"

All the while Ganondorf's two lieutenants were yelling at each other, a group of Bokoblin girls were watching their exchange from the upper floor of the coliseum.

"You think they fight?" Sayuri asked.

Yuka snorted. "If they fight, Yuka bet 10 rupees that sword boy will beat helmet boy."

"Oh? Then Sayuri bet 5 joy pendants that helmet boy will smash sword boy into pillar."

"Yuka and Sayuri just be quiet and enjoy show," Akane grunted as she sat down in-between them. For a while, they just watched.

It took Ghirahim and Zant a bit to calm down. Breathing heavily after yelling so much, they each tried to come up with another insult to throw in the other's face. That's when Zant noticed something.

"Hey, Ghirahim… that's the master's couch you're lying on, isn't it?"

"Oh… it sure is," the demon king said, smugly draping himself over the piece of furniture. "Isn't it just splendid? And it's sooo comfortable to rest on."

"But won't the master be angry at you for using her things?" Zant wondered. "If so, by all means, please continue using it."

"Oh, the master isn't here at the moment," Ghirahim said as he leaned back with a relaxed sigh. "She left the hideout to investigate Gerudo Town. I think she wants to see for herself how her people are faring these days. Before she left, she told me to watch everything in her absence. So, at the moment, I am watching her couch." He wriggled a bit back and forth to get more comfortable. "And so far, everything looks fine to me."

"You left her to leave on her own?" Zant screeched. "With no minions to back her up? When she's in a body she's unfamiliar with? In an era she has never witnessed with her own eyes? You should have insisted to come along, you fool!"

"Are you suggesting to go against my master's wishes?" Ghirahim hissed. "How dare you? As her servants, it is our duty never to question her decisions."

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't try to think for ourselves for once…" Zant grumbled. "You know, you were right… you really are just like that sword girl. Nothing more than a weapon, a tool…"

"I WILL BRING YOU TORMENT THAT LASTS FOR ETERNITY, YOU WRETCHED, PALE-FACED TWILIGHT SCUM!" Ghirahim roared as he launched himself off the couch and towards Zant.

The Bokoblins kept watching the spectacle. Akane reached with her hand to the others.

"Pass the popcorn."

* * *

Ganondorf was walking through a valley in the south of Hyrule, heading towards the desert. The land had changed a lot since the last time she had reincarnated. Steep cliffs and mountainsides were everywhere, the entirety of the south coast was overgrown with a thick jungle, and Hylian settlements were a rarity. Instead, the plains were littered with the ruined remains of former towns, villages and farmsteads. Monsters were setting up camps all over the place, most preferably within huge rock structures that resembled skulls.

"I always wanted to conquer Hyrule…" the former king of evil muttered as she gazed upon the remains of yet another burnt down building. "Humiliate the haughty Hylians, give my people a better place to live, rule everything with an iron fist… but this is just aimless destruction." Anger filled her again as she thought of the creature that caused all of this. "This… Calamity is supposed to be my future self. But what good is a ruined kingdom, if there's nothing left I can rule? That… thing sealed within Hyrule Castle is nothing but a beast. I am nothing like that! I will make sure that I will NEVER be reduced to that!"

As she continued on her way through the valley, she noticed a herd of wild horses in the distance. She had noticed several times that in these days, the descendants of Hyrule's proud horses were roaming the wilderness instead of being raised on farms or being ridden by noble knights. Only a handful of them were being tamed by travelers or the militia guarding the handful of villages. The rest were running free. Everyone could try to take one for his own, even Bokoblins started doing so.

But there was one horse that was different from the rest. It stayed separate from the rest of the herd. A proud loner, it didn't seem to want to associate with the other horses that were all so similar to each other. But this one was huge, muscular, powerful, with a coat so dark it resembled the blackest of nights, and a mane as red as fire.

"I know your kind," Ganondorf said softly as she slowly approached the giant horse. "In the past, your ancestors served me well. "You are proud and strong, willingly separating yourself from the weak. Am I not right?"

The horse grew irritated, the closer the Gerudo girl walked. With an angry snort, it started pawing the ground. Ganondorf only smirked at this display.

"You're not allowing me getting close to you that easily, huh? You're untamed and free, and you're not just letting anyone tame you like that. Very well… I accept your challenge!" She flexed her muscles and stomped her foot. "Come at me!"

The giant horse let out a sharp whinny as it charged at Ganondorf. She watched him closely as she waited for the right time. The beast's powerful stomping hooves, the mane flowing behind it, the sparks of fury within its eyes… she was mesmerized.

"Yes, like all in your bloodline, you shall make a glorious mount," she smirked as she tensed her body. "Your will is strong… but in time, you as well shall call me master… now, prepare yourself!"

And with a powerful push of her legs, unconsciously strengthened by her Senshi magic, she leapt into the air, twirled herself around elegantly and landed on the backside of the horse. The wild stallion neighed and reared up on his hind legs, but Ganondorf took a strong grip on his mane. As he flailed and tossed himself around, she did all she could to stay on his back.

It was an arduous battle, not fought with weapons or magic, only with pure strength and willpower. The giant stallion had more stamina than any other living horse in Hyrule, and Ganondorf's new body wasn't nearly as tall and muscular as her old one. But her combination of experience, strength of will and a magically enhanced body, she managed to wear the beast down over time.

"Submit…" she growled into his ear as the horse was running in a straight line. "You fought valiantly, noble creature, but you are unable to best me. So just submit… be my mount as many of your forefathers were, and together we shall ride towards power and glory!"

Finally, the giant horse started to slow down. A few last, defiant snorts and shakes of his head, another stomp of his huge hooves… but they both knew the battle was over. Ganondorf had won.

Satisfied, she patted the horse's neck. "You truly are magnificent. And with your help, traversing this new Hyrule will be much easier. Your new name shall be… Styx. In time, I need to get you a saddle and some reins as well, suitable for a king's horse. Now onwards, to the desert."

And the mistress of evil continued her journey atop her new, powerful steed.

* * *

Hyrule's desert was a harsh, unforgiving place. Only the Gerudo learned how to survive in this wasteland of sand, where the days were unforgiving hot and the nights were chillingly cold. Not too many animals were able to live here, either. Just a couple of birds, desert coyotes and sand seals were native to this area. Horses or any other hooved animals could not survive in the scorching heat. Most of them would even refuse to set hoof onto the desert sand.

Ganondorf's giant horse was different. It was strong and enduring enough that it did not turn around when she made it move onwards. Of course, she had to make it move slowly and carefully, but she knew the desert and the capabilities of her horse well enough to keep moving on.

She left Styx in the care of the sand seal handler in front of the town gates. It was unusual for any other animal to be kept here, but the handler informed her newest client that knew how to take care of horses as well. So Ganondorf left him in her care and approached the town's gate.

Two tall Gerudo women stood guard, carrying long, ornamented spears. Ganondorf stood still for a moment. It had been such a long time since he had laid eyes on another member of his race. She felt a painful longing in her chest, to just stay here with her people…

The left guard noticed that she was being stared at. "Greetings, sister," she addressed her. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

It took Ganondorf a moment to notice that she was talking to her. She realized that in this form, she would look like any other Gerudo. She wasn't the sole member of the tribe anymore. She was no king. She wasn't even a resident of this town. "Um, no," she finally answered. "I'm just… traveling through, thank you."

"I don't think I've seen you before," the guard continued. "You're not from Gerudo Town, are you? Are you a hermit? Or did you live with the Hylians before? I've heard there are several Gerudos that decided to settle down with their husbands."

'Gerudo willingly giving up life amongst their sisters?' Ganondorf thought to herself. 'Abandoning our culture, our way of life? What madness is this?'

"No, I don't have a husband. It's just that I… travel a lot," she told the guard.

"I see," the other Gerudo nodded. "In that case, welcome home, sister. I am Kotta. What's your name?"

"Uh…" Ganondorf actually hadn't thought of that. She couldn't possibly introduce herself with her actual name. Even if they didn't connect her to the Great Calamity, Ganondorf wasn't exactly a typical female's name. "My name is… Ganya."

"Nice to meet you." Kotta smiled. "You know, it's almost time for my break. Want me to show you around town?"

Seeing that this was a perfect chance to take a closer look at town, Ganya decided to play the role of the naïve newcomer a bit longer and smiled back. "Sure, I'd love to."

"Then it's decided," Kotta nodded. She turned to face the other guard. "Leena, tell the captain that I'm having my break a bit earlier. I'll start a few minutes earlier tomorrow, to make up for it."

"She's not going to like it, but I'll tell her," Leena grinned. "Have fun, you two."

"Thanks. Come on, Ganya! Let me show you a few of my favorite spots in town. You've got to try some of our drinks at the bar." She patted her fellow clanswoman's shoulder and led her through the gate, onto the big marketplace.

It was a new experience for the former Gerudo king. Seeing her tribe not only in a different time, but also through the eyes of a female. Not a king, not a chieftain, not even a soldier. Just a regular commoner. It was refreshing to see Kotta and all the other Gerudos treat her like one of their own instead of someone who must be revered. And the most astonishing realization she had was that the constant optimism she could feel in town. These women weren't oppressed, they weren't suffering from life in the desert. Ganya realized that over the billions of years, they must have adapted even better to desert life than before. They weren't a tribe of bandits. They were merchants, artisans, teachers… True, men still weren't allowed within the town walls, but they welcomed visitors of every other tribe. Ganya saw Hylian women on the marketplace, Ritos, even a Goron… even though she wasn't exactly sure if that was a woman or not. Still, seeing her tribe interact freely with all the other inhabitants of the country was incredible.

She didn't know how she should feel about it, though. During her reign as king, the Gerudo had been shunned. They were thieves, outcasts, criminals. Ganondorf had sworn to conquer Hyrule, for his people to claim Hyrule land as their own. For the longest time as the great king of evil, he had hated the royal family of Hyrule and the bloodline of the hero for ruining his plans of conquest, for defeating him time and time again, for killing him, for sealing him in the Sacred Realm…

But now the royal family was gone, his latest reincarnation had become a mindless monster and his tribe was living peacefully with the rest of Hyrule. And on top of everything, she was trapped in the body of a regular Gerudo. What did that mean for her?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she walked past a jewelry shop. Her eyes were drawn to the beautifully crafted trinkets. Rubies, sapphires and topazes, embedded in shimmering frames of silver and gold.

Kotta noticed that Ganya wasn't following her anymore and turned around. "Ah, I see you found Isha's store," she said with a smirk. "She offers the best pieces of jewelry in all of Gerudo Town. Those earrings are beautiful, don't you think?"

"Yes," Ganya agreed with a nod. "I've owned similar ones before… seeing them reminded me of the past."

"But you don't have them anymore?" Kotta asked. "Sounds like they were pretty special to you."

Ganya nodded. "They were a gift from my mother. I lost her during a raid… there were too many enemies… she never made it back home."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Kotta said with empathy. "I know losing family is hard. I lost my sister to a sandstorm. Forgive my asking, but you mentioned a raid? So it was a monster attack, wasn't it?"

Ganya realized that these modern Gerudo wouldn't understand the concept of attacking and pillaging other towns and villages, so she just nodded. "Right… monsters."

"Those creatures are a menace for all of Hyrule," Kotta grumbled. "Good thing they are too cowardly to attack fortified towns. In all the time I served as a guard, not even Lynels dared to attack us. So don't worry Ganya, you'll be safe here."

Ganya was about to respond, when her eyes caught something strange within the shop. It was a pair of young women. The first looked like a regular Hylian… she wore traditional Gerudo clothing, yet the pale skin and blonde hair was unmistakable. But it was her companion who intrigued Ganya the most. Her hair was bright red, but that was no Gerudo. Her skin was as grey as ash… Ganya had seen such a creature before.

'A Twili?' she thought to herself. 'Here? That doesn't make any sense… Zant told me that his people were pretty much extinct in this time. Even more, they've never lived in Hyrule before.'

"Midna please…" the Hylian girl just said. "We've been here for almost half an hour. How long do you plan on looking at those jewels? Let's get going already!"

"But this amber tiara is so pretty," the Twili gushed. "Can't you buy it for me, Lin… kle? Pretty pleeease?"

"We'll be out of rupees if you keep this up," Linkle sighed. "Besides, our plans were to meet with the chieftain, remember?"

"Just this little trinket, then we're done shopping," Midna grinned. "I promise."

"My poor wallet…" Linkle groaned. "I should have known it wouldn't survive this trip. Um, Miss? We'd like to purchase this, please."

"Good choice," the proprietor of the shop, Isha said as she approached them. "You know, if you're friends with Link, I can offer you a bargain for this item. He did help my shop get back in business, after all." She smiled. "He never told me he had a sister, though."

Linkle sweatdropped. "Right. My… brother doesn't talk a lot."

Isha laughed. "That's certainly true."

"Ganya, what is it?" Kotta asked. "Do you know these ladies? Have you met them on your travels?"

"I'm not sure…" Ganya muttered. "I have the feeling… I've seen them before. Please, excuse me for a moment."

Kotta was left standing as Ganya approached the two outsiders. She shrugged. Probably some old friends of hers she hadn't seen in a while. She decided to leave Ganya alone for the moment. She would give them the chance for a happy reunion.


	9. Battle in the Streets

„So… this is New York?" Usagi looked at everything around her in awe. The tall buildings, the people the streets filled with cabs and other cars…

"Why are you so amazed?" Michiru asked with amusement. "It's not like big cities are something new to you, you know Tokyo."

"Yes, but I've never been in America before," Usagi replied. "This is all so different… look, over there! Is that a real American pizza shop? I wanna try some…"

Chibiusa shook her head. "Typical Usagi, always thinking with her stomach first."

"Hey, you thought it, too," Usagi argued.

The transformed princess of Crystal Tokyo blushed… or she would have, if she still had human skin instead of scales. "Y-yeah, well… that still isn't an excuse. But wait… do you think they've got ice cream there?"

"I'd rather like to know if I can buy some interesting CDs with American music…" Michiru added.

A middle-aged man walked past the weird people that were all dressed in long trench coats and hats. He shook his head as he kept walking and muttered to himself: "Tourists… Buncha weirdos…"

Krangtsuna gently pulled the others back into the alley they had just appeared in. "Try not to attract too much unwanted attention. None of us look like a normal human, and we don't know how the people would react if they realized what we are. And while you all have disguises, no coat in the world would be big enough to hide my huge robot body. Or Small Lady's new vehicle, for that matter."

"But what do you want me to do with it, Puu?" Chibiusa asked. "I don't wanna leave it here, somebody's going to steal it. Can't I just fly up into the clouds and watch you from above?"

"That seems like a risky thing to do," Diana pointed out.

"I agree," Krangtsuna nodded. "I'm sorry, but you really should just leave it here for now. Maybe we can put some old blankets or something like that over it to disguise it."

"Fine," Chibiusa huffed. "But I'll activate some of the Mechakoopas to guard it."

"Mecha… what?" Usagi asked in confusion. "What's that?"

"The little robot turtles," Chibiusa explained. "That's what they're called. And don't ask me how I know that, they just are."

"There's something that surprised me, Setsuna," Michiru spoke up. "That man just now… he didn't speak Japanese, did he? I mean, I understand some English pretty well, but he seemed to understand us, too."

"Astute observation, Michiru," Krangtsuna smiled. "But no, he really did speak English. It just sounded like Japanese to you because of the Time Gate's multicultural translator. If you use it to travel to a time period, country or even world where most of the people speak a different language, it activates a translator spell that automatically translates every word that is being said, so it sounds like your native language in your head. And it works the other way around, too." She smiled. "No time guardian can be expected to learn every single language that is available in the cosmos."

"I get it," Chibiusa said. "With this, all of us can speak and understand English, even if some of us aren't that good with it. Like Usagi."

"Yeah, that's really great," Usagi nodded. She then looked down at the pink-haired Koopa kid with a scowl. "Hey! You're not very good with English either."

"True, but I'm still a child. You're in high school, so you have no excuse. You're just a lazy student!" She stuck out her tongue at the bigger turtle girl.

"Please, no arguing right now," Krangtsuna sighed. "We need to find whoever we swapped our powers with, without causing any sort of commotion. For now, we need to stay undercover and don't draw too much attention…"

"Hey, do you guys hear that? What's going on over there?" Usagi exclaimed as she ran out of the alleyway, onto the street.

Krangtsuna rubbed her squishy temples with a tentacle. She had the feeling it was going to be a long day.

Michiru, Chibiusa and Diana followed Usagi. "Why are those people running and screaming?" "There seems to be some sort of commotion going on down the street." "Wait, is that… gunfire?"

A troop of fifteen or twenty soldiers came marching down the street. They were all muscular, amazonian females, outfitted with army gear and modern weaponry. They all looked like they were chiseled out of a giant boulder. Every now and then, one of them would open fire at a car, fire hydrant or a shop's display window.

"Attention, humans!" the tallest of them, obviously their leader, shouted. "I am General Traag, commander of the Stone Warriors. This town is now under the control of Lord Krang and his troops! Stay in your houses and await further orders, and your lives might be spared. Resist, and we will be forced to take you down!"

Usagi groaned. "Seriously? We can't even travel to America or even jump dimensions without being bothered by some jerkface aliens who want to take over the world? Well, I just have to punish them in the name of the moon!" She stepped forth.

"Usagi, wait!" Michiru shouted. "Remember, you can't…"

But Usagi was already raising her hand up into the air. "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

She waited… but nothing happened. The Stone Warriors stared at her.

"Oops… hehehe…" Usagi chuckled sheepishly as she lowered her hand. "I forgot… I can't exactly transform at the moment, can I?"

"What do we have here?" Traag sneered. "Seems like one of the turtles came crawling out of the sewer. Or are you one of their countless allies, girl? Never mind, Lord Krang will reward us if we bring him any other mutant he can use for his army."

"His army?" Usagi shouted. "Hey, I don't know who exactly his Krang guy is, but I won't join any alien-creep's army! And by the way, I am no ordinary soldier, I am Pretty Soldier Sailor M… um, I mean… I am… Turtle-Princess Usagi… and in the name of the moon, I will punish you!"

The Stone Warriors just laughed. "Men? Fire at will!" Traag shouted. As one, the front line of soldiers raised their laser rifles and opened fire. Usagi yelped and jumped into place to dodge the incoming projectiles. "Aaaaah! Ow, ow ow, no fair! You can't just bring guns to a magical girl fight, you brutes! Didn't your moms never taught you how to act like a proper girl?" Instinctively, she partially pulled her head back into her shell and turned her back to them, so that most of their shots bounced off her shell. "OW!" she yelped. "That still hurts! Isn't a turtle shell supposed to protect?"

"From predators maybe," Michiru grunted as she quickly pulled her princess behind the safety of a car. "But they're shooting lasers at you, Usagi. That's a bit more dangerous."

"All right, no one picks on Usagi," Chibiusa yelled. "That's my job! Mechakoopas… attack!" And on her command, a small group of mechanical turtles came running out of the alleyway, running towards the Stone Warriors.

"Hey, what the…?" Traag gasped. "Are those special versions of Mousers? Hold the line, men!"

"Yes, sir!" the rock girls shouted as one as they fired at the Mechakoopas. They were trained soldiers and managed to gun most of them down, but several of the tiny robots made it through and attacked them.

"Well, it seems staying undercover is out of the question now," Krangtsuna sighed as she stepped onto the street as well. "Jet thrusters activate!" A pair of jets installed in her feet roared to life as she propelled her robot body across the street, where she met the confused Stone Warriors with powerful kicks and punches.

"What? Is that Lord Krang?" one of the soldier girls shouted as she barely managed to evade one of Setsuna's attacks.

"No, you idiot!" the one next to her yelled. "Lord Krang was transformed, just like us. That's obviously an impostor."

"Stand your ground, men!" Traag bellowed. "That's an order! Show them our defenses are rock solid."

"That pun was bad and you should feel bad," a voice spoke up just before Traag was hit in the face with a hockey puck.

"Argh! Damn, that hurt!" Traag snarled in pain. "Who was that? Who dares attack the leader of Krang's army?"

A tall, young man in a hockey mask, who was outfitted with a big amount of sports gear, jumped in front of the general, engaging her in close combat. "Name's Casey Jones, toots," he nonchalantly said as he attacked her with a golf club. "And while I have a fondness for strong women, I don't take kindly to the sort that tries to take over my city and makes a mess of the streets."

"Pitiful human," Traag grumbled as she knocked Casey's golf club out of his grip with a powerful blow of her stone fist. "You're no match for me."

"But maybe both of us together are," Michiru shouted as she ran up to them and used her tail to slap the general into a parking meter. "Hello," she smiled. "My name's Michiru. You looked like you're in the need of some assistance."

"I could say the same thing to you, but your help is appreciated either way," Casey said, after giving the gator girl a quick examination. "Wow, looks like I'm attracting more gorgeous gals today than usual. Even if they're normally not so… scaly. No offense, beautiful."

"Thanks for the compliment, Casanova," Michiru smirked. "But I'm taken."

"Really? That's too bad. Well, whoever the lucky guy is, I envy him already."

"Stop ignoring me!" Traag yelled as she opened fire at them. They quickly dove for cover.

Meanwhile, Krangtsuna and Usagi managed to drive the rest of the Stone Warriors back with combined efforts. On top of that, Chibiusa supported them from above, as she flew around in her clown car, dropping little explosives with legs. "Bob-ombs for everyone!"

"Sir! We can't withstand their assault much longer," one of the soldiers shouted. "We need to retreat."

"Stop whining," Traag shouted as she was pushed back by a combined attack of Michiru and Casey. "What are you, mice or men?"

The Stone Warrior looked down at herself. "Um… at the moment? Neither, sir."

"Looks like the tables have turned, babe," Casey snickered as he twirled his hockey stick. "Don't you think it's time to give up? I don't wanna hit your pretty face any more than I have to."

Traag gritted her teeth. But she had to admit that her small troop was not enough to take care of the unexpected opponents. At least not without any sort of backup. "Men, fall back!" she commanded. "We're regrouping with Lord Krang at HQ. Move it, move it!"

"Wait, come back!" Usagi called after the retreating rock girls. "I didn't even get to dust any of you with my tiara."

Krangtsuna sighed. "You… can't do that either, remember?"

"Oh… right." Usagi said. "Man, I miss my Moon Tiara Action."

"We certainly managed to make a huge mess without it," Setsuna muttered as she looked at the smashed cars, broken hydrants and destroyed pavement. "We really need to work on that whole 'undercover' thing, Usagi."

"Ah, I wouldn't worry about it too much," Casey said as he and Michiru approached them. "Sure, it's a big mess. But it happens quite often, I can assure you. And most of the damage was done by those rock girls anyway."

"You're saying these kinds of battles happen often around here?" Michiru wondered. "Also, you don't seem very shocked with our… appearances."

The young man shrugged as he took off his mask. "I happen to know quite a few people who aren't exactly normal. Like the turtles. My guess would be you've heard of them? After all, there are two ladies in a half-shell in your group."

Usagi took a closer look at his face. "He's cute…" she whispered. Then she shook her head. "Focus, Usagi… you have Mamoru, remember?" she told herself.

Chibiusa then looked around. "Hey, wait a minute… where's Diana?"

* * *

Diana slowly opened her eyes. "Wh-what?" she groaned, her mind in a haze. "Where am I? Small Lady? Wh-what happened?"

She noticed that she was lying in an empty room with metal walls. She was confused? Wasn't she in the middle of a street fight?

"Wait…" she murmured. "What happened to me? The last thing I remember was Chibiusa telling me to go hide, but I tripped over one of her little turtle robots… and then there was this rock-lady standing over me, reaching out with her hand…" She shook her head. "Did she knock me out? But how did I get here? What is this place?"

A sudden snarl coming from her left made her jump to her feet in surprise. She noticed that the room was split into three sections, which were split apart by thick glass panels. Aside from her, there were two other animals, each of them lying in one of the three sections. Directly next to her was a brown-furred wolf cub, who didn't seem to like his close proximity to the young moon cat. Even further away was what looked like a pretty big turtle… a regular one, not a human-sized turtle like what Chibiusa and Usagi had turned into. Diana's confusion grew even more. Was this a zoo of some sort? She wondered if she should call for help. Then again, she usually kept her ability to talk a secret from humans.

Suddenly, the wall in front of her slid open, revealing another glass panel and an even bigger room behind it. The machinery and the many empty glass tubes made it look like some sort of laboratory. But most of her attention was on the young girl in front of her. She had pink hair and was wearing some sort of mechanical suit. Diana's first impulse was to shout 'Small Lady', but she quickly realized it wasn't her life-long friend, but someone else.

The strange girl chuckled as she looked at the three glass cells in front of her. "I see you're awake, my little guest," she said with a smile. "Don't even bother and try to escape, this is a special reinforced glass from Dimension X that won't break so easily. Now, why don't you and I have a little conversation together?"

Diana had no idea what this strange girl's intentions were, so she decided to play dumb at first. "M… meow?"

The girl laughed. "Oh, please. I already know that you can talk, my soldiers witnessed you on the battlefield. That's why they decided to take you along, by the way."

Diana realized that there was no point in acting like a normal cat anymore. "So… those were your soldiers?" she asked.

"That's right," the girl nodded. "I am Lord Krang, warlord of Dimension X and soon to be conqueror of this planet! Now, who are you, where did you come from and why did your friends decide it was a good idea to attack my army?" The female warlord glared furiously at the small kitten.

Diana cowered a bit. "I… I am Diana. And your soldiers were attacking innocent people, so we couldn't just stand by and do nothing."

"That's your reason for interfering? Seriously?" Krang rolled her eyes. "Great, just what I needed: Another bunch of do-gooders. Well, just another small obstacle on my road to victory, I guess. What intrigues me more is you. You're not a mutant, are you? So why do you seem to possess human-level intelligence? Are you a science experiment?"

The moon kitten felt a bit insulted. "I am not an experiment, I am a moon cat! And I serve the royal family with my mom and dad."

"Royal family?" Krang curiously raised an eyebrow. "Now that sounds interesting. Tell me more."

Diana quickly realized her mistake and shook her head. "I can't tell you. You're an evil person. And my friends will come and save me, so you better watch out!"

Krang was not impressed. "You're not the first prisoner I had to interrogate. In time, you will tell me everything I want to know. Where you're from, what this royal family is and why one of your friends seems to be a brain in a robot suit, like I used to be."

Diana was surprised when she heard that, but she barely had the time to think about it, as the door behind Krang opened and a man wearing a strange helmet entered.

"Are you almost done with the interrogation, Krang?" he asked. "I would instruct the troops myself, but Stone Warriors only listen to you. So why don't you hurry it up?"

"Listen careful, Shredder, interrogating a prisoner takes time," Krang snapped. "A good interrogation is a work of art, you'll need patience… which is something you lack, obviously. Now, did you bring the mutagen?"

"Here it is," Shredder said, handing Krang a vial filled with a green liquid. "But are you sure we really need more mutants? We've already got your Stone Warriors, the Foot Soldiers and the improved Mousers. And mutants have already been a bit difficult to control."

"A single mutant is usually stronger than a single robot or even Stone Warrior," Krang argued. "You've seen it with Bebop and Rocksteady. They may be complete and utter morons, but they are powerful. As for controlling the new mutants, leave that problem to me, I'm the brains of this operation."

"You used to be a pile of brains, but I'm not so sure about you right now," Shredder frowned. "You look like a kid who's playing dress-up."

"Before you start to insult me, you should notice that I still have all the capabilities of operating my systems and machines," Krang grumbled. "That's proof enough that I'm still the same capable genius and leader I was before, physical differences aside."

Diana felt a bit left out of the conversation between the two humans. "Um… excuse me?"

"Oh, don't mind Shredder, little kitten," Krang chuckled. "He's just an accomplice of mine who I share some goals with. Now, what should concern you more is this mutagen." She raised the vial towards the glass panel, so Diana had a good look at it. "This is a mutagenic substance that alters a living being's appearance, merging it with the physical aspects of the creature it last had contact with. To put it simply: A human touched by an animal would transform into a mutant animal, may it be a warthog, a rhinoceros, a house fly…"

Diana shivered at the image of a human-sized house fly. She wished she would never have to encounter such a mutant. "And… what does that stuff to animals?"

"Just the same thing, actually," Krang grinned. "Just in reverse. Now, you see that wolf and the snapping turtle in the chambers next to you? These were supposed to be my new test subjects. As mutants, they will be much more powerful and the backbone of my army to conquer Earth. But now that you're here, it seems we'll have three test subjects today instead of just two."

"T-t-t-test subjects?" Diana mewled in terror. "Y-you don't mean…"

"That's right, you little furball," Shredder said. "Whatever kind of weird creature you're supposed to be, it doesn't really matter. Because after this is over, you'll be another mutant warrior in our army."

"No, noooooo! I don't wanna be a mutant," Diana shouted as she ran around her cell in a panic, trying to find an exit. "No, please… Small Lady, mom, dad… somebody please heeeelp meeeee!"

Krang just chuckled at the kitten's helplessness and injected the vial of mutagen to the machine that was standing in front of him. The green goop started flowing through several tubes that were connected to the three glass chambers… and slowly, it began dripping on the floor. Diana got more frightened when she saw it spread across the entirety of the room, coming closer and closer. She tried desperately to climb up the walls, but her little claws were unable to hold onto the solid, smooth metal.

Diana glanced over to her fellow prisoners and saw that they weren't panicking at all, probably because they didn't even understand the words Krang and Shredder had just said. The green slime just seemed to irritate and bother them a bit. The wolf pup even took a curious step into the mutagen. But as soon as they came into contact with it, their transformations began to start. Diana watched with horror as their shapes began to shift and distort. Their little bodies started to twitch and then grow larger by the second. Their little yelps and squeaks turned into deep growls and snarls as they grew into towering, muscular bipeds with sharp claws and teeth.

"No, I don't wanna…" Diana muttered as she scooted into the last corner of her cell that was still untouched by the mutagen, even though it kept creeping towards her. "Please, I don't wanna turn into a monster… nooooo…"

* * *

Luna let out a sudden gasp.

"What's the matter, Luna?" Ami asked as she looked at the moon cat. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know," Luna muttered. "I just… had the feeling something horrible happened. I hope the others are fine."

"I'm sure they are," Haruka said. "They are all capable warriors who have proven time and time again that they can take care of themselves. They are going to be fine. We should focus on our own mission."

"That's right," Mamoru nodded. "Even though I wish the portal hadn't dropped us off right in the middle of this swamp… this is still Eternia, isn't it?"

"It is," Skeletsuna nodded as she was leading her group through the muck. "Sometimes, the gate can be a bit… imprecise when it comes to landing in an exact spot. It was foremost designed to be a time gate after all, not a transdimensional portal. These swamplands shouldn't be too big, though. Let's just keep walking and we'll be outside before you know it."

"You keep saying that, but we've been walking for almost an hour now," Luna grumbled as she desperately clung to Mamoru's shoulder. "And you guys are knee-deep in this gunk… if I were to fall in, I'd be submerged in seconds."

"Let's just hope we don't stumble into quicksand…" Haruka said nervously. "Or snakes. I really don't like snakes…"

As the group slowly made their way through the swamp, they didn't notice that they were watched by a pair of eyes with slitted pupils.

"Let'sss inform King Hiss," a hissing voice whispered. "There ssseem to be intrudersss in our ssswamp…"


	10. For the Honor of Grayskull

Rei was not having a good day. Bad enough that she was waking up as a small, talking horse this morning. Bad enough that half of her family's shrine was looking like a farm. Bad enough that she lost her powers as a Senshi. Bad enough that she couldn't speak a single sentence without speaking in the most ridiculous countryisms she had ever heard.

But now she was wading through a treacherous swamp, on four hooves, surrounded by mosquitos the size of shrine ravens and a thick mist that made it unable to see further than you could throw an apple.

Rei groaned and rolled her eyes. Now the countryisms were even coming in her thoughts. She looked back to the others, who were following her at a distance. While they were planning their next steps while worrying about the others, Rei had decided to scout ahead. It was really no use, though. The fog was so thick that she was unable to see anything besides more muck, trees, mosquitos and snakes.

"Snakes? Why'd it have to be snakes?" she muttered to herself while swatting away a mosquito with her tail. "At least there's no hydra here…"

She shook her head. Where had that thought come from?

She didn't want to admit it, but she tried to keep herself busy, so she didn't have to worry about Usagi and the others herself. As far as she knew, old meatball head was once again getting herself into trouble.

"Dagnabbit, Usagi," she grumbled. "How can I protect you if you're not even on the same planet? I should have gone with her… a great guardian I am."

She shook her head. No, she should not think like that. After all, the group had to be split up to be more effective. Michiru and the other version of Setsuna were with her, after all. And they were guardians too, even without their powers. And besides, protecting the prince was almost as important as protecting the princess.

Rei chuckled as she realized that a few years back, she probably would have used this opportunity to spend as much time with Mamoru as she possibly could. How fast things change…

What an ironic thing to think.

Rei noticed that she had gotten so deep in thought, that she forgot to look ahead. She didn't expect to see than more swamp and more snakes, but she still scolded herself for being careless. And for good reason, as it turned out.

Three sinister figures emerged from the mist. They were tall, covered in scales and had long, reptilian tails behind them. They stared at the shrine pony through slitted eyes and gave off menacing hisses.

The middle one seemed to be their leader, as he gave the other two several hand gestures. They nodded without saying a word and started to approach Rei from different sides. The leader, a big, muscular snake creature with bright red scales and a tail that ended in a rattle, stepped forth and said: "What do we have here? You're a long way from home, little horse. This is snake men territory… and we do not like intruders.

Rei looked back and forth between them with worry, backing off a bit. "Um… howdy. We don't want no trouble. We're just passing through."

The snake man chuckled. "Oh, it's not going to be that easy. We'll bring you before King Hiss and you will have to answer quite a few questions. And believe me… if the king's not satisfied with your answers, things tend to get… ugly."

"I don't think I wanna meet this King Hiss fella then," Rei said. "We'll just be on our way."

"I'm afraid I can't allow that," the leader grinned. "Men? Grab the mule!"

"Yesss, General Rattlor," one of the other snake men hissed, as they prepared to pounce.

Rei gulped nervously. "Aw, horseapples…"

"Don't worry, Rei, we're here," Ami shouted as she came running, followed by the others. Luna was holding on for dear life so she wouldn't fall down into the swamp. Ami quickly let her climb into the branches of a nearby tree. "There, you better stay here, this might get messy."

"No complaints here," Luna said. "Besides, and mean no offense, Ami… but my claws can hold onto this wood much better than to your body."

"We'll take care of these snakes in no time," Skeletsuna said, followed by a sinister chuckle that made her friends look at her with worry.

"What's this?" Rattlor asked. "A human peasant, a dark sorceress, a pair of talking animals and some sort of monster are in our swamp, uninvited? Looks like the king will have a lot more prisoners to interrogate."

"But Rattlor," another snake man with dark purple scales said as he emerged from the mist. "One or two breathing prisoners will be enough, don't you think? We can put the rest out of their misery." He flicked his extremely long tongue through the air, which was dripping with venom.

"I agree, Tung Lashor," Rattlor hissed. "Snake Men? Strike!"

"Oh, that's it," Rei snorted. "Ah've had it with these applebuckin' snakes in this applebuckin' swamp!" She turned around just as one of the smaller snake men came leaping at her and kicked him with both of her hind legs at the same time. The snake man let out a strangled yelp as he flew through the air and crashed into a tree.

"Don't let them surround you," Ami shouted as she rearranged her body parts to grow into a towering construct of torsos. Several of her arms were reaching out to her front, while several more were reaching out behind her. She had also attached her second head so she could watch both her front and her back at the same time. When two snake men attacked her from both sides at once, Ami was capable of fending off both of them.

"Nyeheheheheheeeeh!" Skeletsuna cackled as she fired blasts of dark magic from her havoc staff at her enemies. "Squirm, little snakes, squirm!"

"Um, Luna?" Haruka asked. "Should we be worried about Setsuna's behavior?"

"I… don't think so," Luna replied, not sounding too convincing. "She's just having a little fun. It probably sounds worse than it actually is, because of the slight bits of personality she acquired. I think…"

A pair of long arms then wrapped themselves around Skeletsuna. "I've got you now, witch." The snake man who they belonged to laughed. "You won't be able to use any of your dark magic, now that Squeeze got a hold of you."

Skeletsuna turned her head back just a bit. "Are you sure about that?"

The snake man grinned. "I mean, it's not like you can move like this… AAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" He screamed in pain when Skeletsuna suddenly surrounded herself with an aura of dark, purple fire. Squeeze quickly released her and dove into the wet swamp to extinguish the flames that were burning his long arms. "Make it stop! Make it stoooop!"

"What are you idiots doing?" Rattlor bellowed. "Take those warmbloods down!"

"I'd worry about your own hide," Haruka said as she ran up to him, sword in hand. "Call off your goons, or I'll chop you damn eels into sushi."

"Eels?" Rattlor roared in outrage. He pointed his snake staff at her. "For that insult alone, you will die, softskin."

"Bring it on, scaleface," Haruka chuckled as she raised her blade. "I've faced monsters scarier than you and your little snake friends." She swung it over her head, but she was still unfamiliar to the sword's weight and shape, so Rattlor was able to easily block her strike.

Rattlor laughed. "Is that all you got, human? Maybe your skills aren't as great as you think they are. I shall sink my fangs into your… urk!" He grunted as Haruka punched him in the stomach.

"Less talking, more fighting," she said as she attacked once more with her blade.

"Grrrrrrrr…" The general growled as he parried her blows. "Insolent human…" He jumped back a bit. "Attack me again, if you dare."

Haruka grinned smugly. 'All right, I've got him on the defense,' she thought to herself. 'Just a couple more blows and he'll go down, easy as that.' She let out a battle cry and charged forward.

Rattlor smirked. "I've got you now!" And without any warning, his head suddenly shot forward, as his neck stretched to at least twice the size it had previously. Haruka, unprepared for this attack, couldn't defend herself as the snake man's sturdy skull slammed into her, sending her flying through the bushes, into the slimy muck of the swamp. For a moment, she saw nothing but stars. With a groan, she tried standing up, but she felt so dizzy that she fell back down again.

"There's just no end to these guys," Mamoru sweated as he tried defending himself against a snake man's assault with a thick piece of wood. "I just wish I had a better weapon…"

"Mamoru just transform into Tuxedo Mask," Luna shouted from above. "Your secret identity doesn't mean much in this world. At least you'll be able to better defend yourself."

"Maybe… you're right." Mamoru grunted as he knocked his opponent down with a strong blow to the head. He knelt down and took a couple of breaths. "Man, those guys are tiring me out."

"Here, friend," the gentle voice of a man spoke up behind him. "I know how we can escape these brutes. Come, this way…"

Mamoru turned his head in surprise and saw a middle-aged man with a warm smile on his face. He was dressed in green armor that almost looked like it was made from snake scales itself. He held his hand towards the earth prince as if he was helping him to stand up.

And even though a small voice in the back of his head warned Mamoru not to trust this stranger, he knew that they could use the help of as many allies as possible.

"Thank you," he said, accepting the stranger's hand. "My friends and I are really in trouble. And I'd appreciate if you could…"

He didn't finish his sentence. Mamoru's eyes widened when he saw how the man's skin seemed to peel off his body in front of his eyes. The man let out a sinister laugh as his human face stretched and distorted… only to reveal the monstrous head of a snake underneath! And that was just the beginning… from underneath the stranger's skin, a tangled mass of squirming, hissing snakes emerged. And the hand Mamoru was just about to grab had turned into a snake as well, which wrapped itself tightly around his wrist. Mamoru struggled with all his might to get free, but the snake coils were just too strong.

"Mamoru!" Luna yelled. "By the moon! What is that thing?"

"I've got you now, human." The stranger's voice had turned just as distorted and twisted as his body had. He seemed to speak with hundreds of hissing voices at the same time. "Don't even try to get away… no one escapes the grasp of King Hiss!" He wrapped even more of his snake bodies around Mamoru's limbs. Two of his heads moved themselves directly next to his head. They opened their mouths, revealing the sharp fangs inside. "Cease your struggling… or my venom will send you right into a wet grave beneath the swamp."

Mamoru was sweating and decided not to move for the moment. He saw himself as a brave defender of his love, his friends and his planet, but there was a difference between bravery and foolishness. And at the moment, he saw no way to escape King Hiss' grasp without risking being bitten by his heads.

King Hiss stepped forth in-between his loyal snake men, who all respectfully bowed their heads. "Humans! Stop fighting at once or your friend will be the first to die," he hissed in his multitude of voices.

Nervously, Ami, Applejack and Skeletsuna lowered their weapons and stood down.

Meanwhile, Haruka had finally managed to get a clear enough head to stand back up to her feet. As she was standing behind some bushes, the enemy paid her no attention at the moment. She gritted her teeth as she realized that Mamoru was in mortal danger. 'Dangit,' she thought. 'How can I save them without endangering Mamoru? And I can't fight against this many enemies at once.'

"Do not despair, brave warrior," a gentle voice spoke up, directly into her mind. "There is yet hope."

Haruka looked around in confusion, but she saw nobody around. "Who… who's talking to me?" she muttered.

"I am the Sorceress, guardian of Castle Grayskull." For a brief moment, Haruka saw the image of a gorgeous woman in a colorful dress adorned with feathers, which made her look like a beautiful bird. "You cannot fail now, warrior of another world. You are holding a power that was not supposed to be yours. But it is a power that was created to protect from everything evil. As its holder, you can use the Sword of Protection to call upon the power of the castle's secrets and defeat all those that would threaten you or your friends."

"You're allowing me to use these powers? Even though you're the one guarding this castle?" Haruka asked in surprise. "Then what do I have to do?"

"Protector of the ancient Moon Kingdom, listen carefully," the Sorceress said. "Raise the sword high above your head… and call out the words I am about to tell you."

Haruka nodded as she listened to the Sorceress. She then held up her new sword and pointed it at the sky. She then shouted:

"FOR THE HONOR OF GRAYSKULL!"

She felt an immense surge of power within her. Her whole body was surrounded by a golden aura, as she felt her muscles growing even stronger than before. At the same time, a well of ancient magic seemed to surge up deep within her, which flowed through her whole body and right into her blade. She then saw two successive visions in her mind, of two different castles. One of them was old, massive and had the image of a gigantic skull on its front, while the other one was much sleeker and taller, seemingly made from gold and crystals.

Haruka felt a connection to her new blade, a bond she knew was not supposed to be there, but at this time, it just felt right. She lowered the sword and held the blade with her left hand, shouting the second set of words the Sorceress had told her:

"I AM SHE-RA!"

"Haruka?" Luna shouted, leaping from branch to branch. "Haruka, where are you? The others have been taken prisoner and… what… what's going on here?" she gasped as she saw the amazing transformation that was taking place in front of her.

Haruka, as the new She-Ra, was wearing an outfit that seemed flimsy at first glance, but was in fact a powerful piece of armor, shimmering in bright gold and pure white. A gorgeous red cape was draped across her back and a golden tiara was sitting on her forehead.

"Relax, Luna," she said with a smile as she pointed her blade at the moon cat. "It's me. Everything is going to be all right."

Both Luna and Haruka then gasped as a ray of light came shooting out of the sword, engulfing the black cat entirely. Luna let out a strangled meow as she felt a similar power surging inside of her. Her meow turned into a powerful roar as the small cat grew into a powerful and ferocious panther, almost as big as a horse. Her crescent moon was still on her forehead, and on her back there was an impressive saddle with ornate markings that resembled the art style of the ancient Moon Kingdom. With a powerful leap, she landed next to Haruka and snarled as she tried to keep her confusion and newfound lust for battle in check.

"What… what did you do to me?" she gasped in a much deeper, dangerous-sounding voice. "I feel so… so strong… like I could take on anybody… I feel ready for BATTLE!"

Haruka was about to say something, to ask the Sorceress about what was going on, but they had no time. Naturally, the snake men had heard her voice and saw the bright light shining through the mist.

"What was that?" King Hiss shouted. "Snake Men! Take a look behind those bushes. And bring any human you find to me."

"No need to search for me," Haruka spoke out as she stepped out of the mist. "I'm right here, fangface." She raised her sword, and its glow made the mist part. Everyone looked at the heroic warrior and the huge panthress in awe.

"I'm giving you this one warning, scalebrains," Haruka said. "Let my friends go now… and we call this even."

"Haruka? Is that you?" Ami's left head muttered in surprise. The right one just let its mouth hang open. "

The snake men snarled and hissed at the insult towards their king, however, and they all took their own weapons. "Foolish human!" King Hiss spat. "You think you can take on all of my snake men just with your cat? Who do you think you are, the mighty He-Man?" His snake heads all laughed at the same time, even the ones threatening Mamoru. "General Rattlor, kill her!"

"Gladly, my king," Rattlor grinned. "I shall lay her head before you…"

"You again?" Haruka sighed. "Oh well… don't say I didn't warn you." She raised her blade to strike, and once again, Rattlor tried to block it.

With a powerful slash, Haruka split Rattlor's staff in two halves. She noted with satisfaction that there was no resistance at all, it cut through the snake man's weapon like a knife would cut through butter.

"WHAT?" Rattlor gasped, looking down at his destroyed weapon in disbelief. "You… you'll pay for that, human! Now I'm really gonna give it to you!"

"Thanks, but I don't want it," Haruka said with a smirk. "Here, you can have it back…" She pulled back her fist… and knocked the snake man general up into the air with a punch so powerful, that he soared higher than the tallest trees in the swamp.

Haruka grinned. That felt good. "There! I'll give that guy probably half an hour or so before he lands on solid ground again." She snickered, then took on a more serious face as she turned towards King Hiss and his remaining henchmen. "Who's next?"

King Hiss was so baffled by the display of the female warrior's power, that he forgot the prisoner he was keeping in his grasp. Mamoru used the inattentiveness of the two snake heads that threatened him to call upon his own powers. Rose petals swirled around him as his daily clothes transformed into an impressive set of black armor, complete with a fine sword in a sheath. He quickly freed one of his arms, drew his blade and slashed through one of the serpent king's bodies.

King Hiss screamed in pain as Mamoru… no, Prince Endymion freed himself completely and kicked the king's body into the swamp. "And stay down!" he commanded. "A true king does not rely on treachery and cheap poisons, you coward."

"He injured His Royal Serpentness," Tung Lashor shouted. "Snake Men, protect your king!"

"You better protect yourselves first," Skeletsuna snickered as she shocked the one guarding her with a lightning spell. At the same time, Luna jumped towards Rei and Ami, knocking down their guards with quick strikes.

"I could get used to this strength…" she grumbled in her new, deep voice.

Rei gulped nervously. As she was a pretty little pony, Luna's new form towered over her. "Yeah, but… y'all best be careful with the claws, sugarcube."

The remaining snake men realized that they were outmatched. Squeeze picked up the fallen body of his king. "King Hiss must be taken to safety," he shouted. "Snake Men, retreat!" All the other snake men quickly scampered back into the mists, from which they came.

Ami let out a relieved sigh as she rearranged her body to a more… normal form. "All right, that was not the best first impression Eternia could have given us… Mamoru, are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," the prince nodded. "And I'm glad I managed to call upon my sword and armor again. I think Tuxedo Mask would not have been the most effective choice in battle."

"Yer only realizing that now?" Rei muttered.

Skeletsuna took a closer look at the changed forms of Haruka and Luna. Her eyes lingered for a while on the gleaming blade of the Sword of Protection. "I see you managed to use the power of the sword after all."

"Well… yeah, I did," Haruka nodded. "To be perfectly honest, I think the armor's a bit too girly for my tastes… but I won't complain when I'm given this much power to protect my friends. I was surprised to see what it did to Luna, though."

"Eternia's champion has a similar cat, after all," Skeletsuna said. "It only makes sense that you would have the ability to appoint a similar animal as your companion."

"So I'm supposed to be Haruka's companion now instead of Usagi's?" Luna grumbled. "Well, could be worse… and I know this is just temporary, until we manage to switch everyone back. How did you even know how to transform, Haruka?"

Haruka smiled. "You could say a little birdie told me. And she even told me where we should go next."

She pointed her sword eastwards. "That is the fastest way out of the swamp. And after that, we'll be going to Castle Grayskull."

* * *

While all of this happened, the Masters of the Universe were preparing themselves for battle.

Adam and Adora had informed Duncan, the loyal Man-at-Arms of Eternos about Adora's missing sword. Since Duncan was one of the few who knew Adam's secret identity as He-Man, he knew that it meant bad news for both Eternia and Etheria if one of the swords of power got missing. But after hearing that there were others whose powers were switched with those of another, and that they were the key to retrieving one of the most powerful artifacts of Grayskull, he wasted to time and informed every available defender of Eternia.

"In the best case, we'll be able to sneak into Snake Mountain and free whoever Skeletor has taken captive," Man-at-Arms said. "In the worst case, the person we are looking for is one of Skeletor's evil warriors. In that case, we will probably have to fight. Skeletor is not someone you can bargain with."

"Why don't we just go in and knock at his door?" Ram-Man asked. "One solid blow from my head, and Snake Mountain's gates will be nothing but scrap."

"I have to agree with our hard-headed friend," Fisto nodded as he slammed his huge, metal hand into the palm of his normal, human hand. "A frontal assault is the best solution."

Stratos shook his head with a sigh. "You two would be horrible strategists. Skeletor will see us coming from a mile away and will be able to strengthen his defenses. We need a more subtle plan."

"I agree," Man-at-Arms said. "Skeletor may be cunning, but he's usually blinded by ambition and short-sightedness. I'm going to prepare a secondary battalion that will keep hidden until we need further backup. This will hopefully catch the demons by surprise. Teela, can you take command of this battalion?"

"Certainly, father," the warrior-woman agreed. "I still hope that it won't come to a battle. But is it really a good idea to take the prince and princess along? No offense, Adora. But I don't really know anything about your battle prowess. And I definitely know that Adam is not the most reliable fighter."

Adora and Adam exchanged a quick look. Teela was an old friend, but they both knew that it was important not to reveal the secret of the swords to more people than necessary. On Eternia, only Man-at-Arms, Orko and the Sorceress shared the secret. On Etheria, it was Light Hope, Madam Razz and Kowl. Counting Spirit and Cringer, that was almost too many people to rely on. The secret had to be kept.

So Adam kept up his image as the lazy, bumbling prince so his true nature as He-Man would not be revealed. "You hurt me, Teela. I know how to use a sword, you know that."

"Then why do I keep winning every time we spar?" Teela huffed. "If you can't even beat me, how will you be able to defend yourself against Skeletor? Also, the king and queen would never forgive me if I endanger any of their two children."

"But it's important that I come along, Teela," Adora pleaded. "That's why I came from Etheria in the first place. A powerful artifact was stolen from there, and I'm sure it's in Snake Mountain."

She knew this was a lie, but it was the best explanation she had for why had returned to Eternia and why they had to attack Snake Mountain. At least without revealing her secret identity.

"Whatever they stole and whoever they are keeping in there, I'm sure we can take care of it," Teela said. "You can relax, we've fought Skeletor and his goons for years now."

"We still need to be careful," Duncan reminded his adoptive daughter. "And remember, Adora is still a resistance leader on her planet."

Teela sighed. "Fine, let her come along. But I don't see how Adam's presence is going to help in any way."

Adam wanted to protest, when his eyes suddenly saw something in the sky. It was a majestic, colorful bird of prey that circled high above them, so high that no one except him had seen it yet. It was the falcon Zoar, the alternate form of the Sorceress.

"Prince Adam," she spoke to him in his mind. "You must come to Castle Grayskull. And bring your sister along with you. There will be visitors here shortly that the both of you will want to meet."

"Adam? Where are you looking? Are you even listening?" Teela asked him.

Adam slowly lowered his gaze back towards her. "Oh… sorry, Teela. I wasn't listening. But you know what? I think you're right… maybe I should stay back home. And Adora as well. We really aren't that good in a fight like you and the others."

Teela was surprised. "Well, looks like someone finally managed to learn some common sense. About time, I'd say."

"What?" Adora put her hands on her hips. "Hey, I'm much better in a fight than you are, little brother."

"Oh yeah?" Adam asked. "Well, I don't know that for sure. And don't call me little, we're twins. We're the same age."

"Yes, but mother told me I was born shortly before you," the princess smirked. "That means I'm older."

"That was at most five minutes," Adam groaned as the two royal siblings walked away from the others. "Give me a break, sis."

Teela shook her head as she watched them leave. "Kids…"

Duncan chuckled. "Should I remind you how you were before becoming captain of the guard?"

Teela blushed. "Let's… not talk about that right now, father. We have to prepare the troops."


	11. Audience with King Dorephan

Hotaru gritted her teeth. All of her willpower was focused on the small spot of ground in front of her. Her right hand was raised and its palm outstretched towards the spot she was concentrating on. A spark of dark magic was igniting there, moving slightly back and forth whenever Hotaru's hand was shaking.

"Don't strain yourself so much," Ganontsuna said, who was standing beside her. "Don't force the magic, just let it happen. You are a creature of Twilight, the darkness is a part of you. You just direct it. Just let it flow."

"But… but aren't creatures of darkness evil?" Hotaru muttered.

Ganontsuna shook her head. "You should know that better than anyone else, Hotaru. The Senshi of Saturn wields the power of destruction. A long time it has been heralded as a dark messiah, a herald of despair. But you proved that Sailor Saturn can be as much of a hero as any other Senshi. Darkness is not the same as evil. It is an inherent part of the universe. Just like any other power, it can be used for good and evil. You just need to be careful not to let yourself be seduced by the urge to use it for the wrong intentions."

"I think I get it now," Hotaru nodded. "I… I can move it." A smile appeared on her face. "Thanks, Setsuna-mama. Thanks to your instructions, using these new powers is easier every time I try it."

"I'm glad to hear it," Ganontsuna smiled. "In a way, we are similar. The power as a Time Guardian is also very powerful and can be easily misused for the wrong things. And now I have received the powers and destiny of Ganondorf." She looked down at her hand, where a small, golden triangle appeared for a short moment. "His soul was doomed to be the reincarnation of a demon king, yet he is human. He could have chosen to resist the lure of evil, yet his ambitions drove him towards the path of darkness from an early age on. And similar to the Twili, using dark magic has become second nature to him. But unlike most of them, he never let go of his grudge. And that caused his downfall time and time again."

"And you're sure he's here again?" Hotaru asked.

Ganontsuna nodded. "He was called back by two of his servants, who have been using Hyrule's guardians of time to bring him back. That's what started this whole mess. Finding him will be the most difficult task we need to accomplish here in Hyrule… and the most important one."

"But where should we even start to look?" Hotaru wondered.

"I'm not quite sure. But if we're lucky, the Zoras might be able to help us. Makoto decided to speak to their prince, since according to Finley's mother, he used to be one of the hero's good friends as well. I'm sure he'll be willing to at least hear us out."

"Setsuna?" The two turned around to see Makoto coming up the hill they had chosen for their training. "I've talked to Prince Sidon," the brunette swordswoman said. "And he said he's inviting all of us to an audience with his father, King Dorephan."

"Perfect timing," Ganontsuna smiled. "Then let's not keep them waiting."

* * *

Minako was sitting at Tsukasa's bedside. The little Keese-girl was just taking some medicine the Zora healer was giving her. Finley was resting on another bed on her other side.

"Are you feeling better?" Minako asked.

"Yes," Tsukasa said with a smile. "I'm feeling much better. Thanks, Miss Minako. And thank you for saving us from those Lizalfos."

Minako smiled. "It was no big deal, kiddo. Now tell me, why were they even after you?"

"They don't like me because I'm one of those who changed," Tsukasa explained with a sigh. "I used to be a normal, electric Keese and didn't look like a human at all. I couldn't talk or even think normally. I was just a monster, bound to the will of Master Ganon, attacking all the humans I would see." She lowered her head and looked at the ground. Minako could only imagine how much shame at her former life she must feel.

"But how did that change?" Minako asked her. "How did you change?"

"I… I really don't know," Tsukasa shrugged. "All of a sudden, all over the land, several monsters all changed at once. We got more human-like, were much smarter than before and most importantly, we were able to decide for ourselves. We were free from Master Ganon's influence!" She smiled a bit. "You don't know how good that felt. Back when I was just a beast, I couldn't even consider the possibility of having your own, free will. It's so wonderful… I don't ever want to go back to what I used to be, not ever again." She sighed again. "Those Lizalfos don't like that. Unlike Keese, Lizalfos always have had more cunning and intelligence, just like Moblins and even Bokoblins. But they've always been creatures of the Calamity, and with that, willing servants of Master Ganon. When some of us changed monsters decided to leave the master's services, those monsters that did not change did not take it very well. They looked at us as traitors who should not be allowed to live."

"That's horrible," Minako huffed. "Such creatures who look down upon others, just because of their choices in life… they disgust me."

Tsukasa looked back at the floor again. "I used to be one of those creatures…"

"But only because you had no other choice," Minako said. "That Ganon creep is the bad guy here. He shouldn't have forced you to do all those terrible things in the first place. I don't know either what changed you, Tsukasa… but if it helps you and your kind to take life into your own hands, then I hope it happens much more often. And don't you worry about those Lizalfos." She smiled. "If there's more of them coming to get you, we'll keep you safe. I promise."

Tsukasa returned the smile. "Thank you, Miss Minako."

"You're welcome, kiddo," Minako said, and the two bat-girls hugged each other with arms and wings. "Just make sure not to shock me, okay?" she smirked.

"Don't worry," Tsukasa giggled. "I can control it as long as I'm not in the water."

Then the Keese took a closer look at her new friend. "What kind of bat are you anyway, Miss Minako? You're not a Keese, that's for sure. Not the regular type or a changed one like me."

"I'm really not sure myself," Minako admitted, which was at least partially correct. She knew that the person she switched with came from a world called Mobius, which was inhabited by a lot of other humanoid animals, but at the moment, that was all she knew. "I'm sort of similar to you, you know? My friends and I were changed, and we are looking for a way to change back."

"But I liked my change," Tsukasa frowned. "Why would you want to change back?"

"Because we were happy the way we were, Tsukasa," Minako tried to explain. "I mean, flying and everything is great and all, but we used to be normal humans. And to be honest, I would like to be human again."

"Human? You mean, like a Hylian?"

Minako nodded. "Back at home, there are no bat creatures like you and me. And my old friends and family wouldn't recognize me anymore. Maybe they would even call me a monster."

Tsukasa sighed. "I know how that is. The Zoras here don't really seem to like me, even in this new form. They are only allowing me to stay because I helped Finley." She looked over to the other bed, where the Zora girl was resting, asleep. "I really hope we can be friends. I never really had a friend, only flock mates."

Minako smiled. "I'm sure she'll want that. And I'm also sure that the other Zoras will get used to you and your kind in time."

"Sshhhhhh!" the elderly healer shushed them as he angrily glanced in their direction. Embarrassed, Minako and Tsukasa decided to stay quiet so they wouldn't disturb Finley's sleep. Minako gave the Keese a last smile and nod, then she left the infirmary.

Artemis was waiting for her outside. "Makoto was just here. She said we're summoned to an audience with the king."

Minako nodded. "Good, then we'll go there now. After all, it's not good to let waiting fish wait." She grinned.

Artemis sweatdropped. "I'm not even going to ask how you came up with that saying."

* * *

Shortly afterwards, they were all entering the gorgeous throne room of Zora's Domain. Prince Sidon, the royal heir to the throne, welcomed them with a short bow. He was already taller than most of the other Zoras, but he was still dwarfed by the Zora that was sitting on the throne: His father, King Dorephan, who had the appearance and the size of a small, humanoid whale. The king looked at the assembled group of strangers with caution, but also with respect.

As the leader of the Senshi protecting their princess, it was Minako who stepped forward to talk. She respectfully knelt down in front of the king, which the others did as well.

King Dorephan bowed his head. "Hail, travelers. As king of the Zoras, I welcome you to Zora's Domain. Before we discuss anything else, please allow me to express my gratitude for valiantly fighting for one of our subjects and protecting her from danger. Please, rise."

"It was our pleasure, Your Majesty!" Minako said as she and the others got back to their feet. "We are a group of warriors who are sworn to protect those who are unable to defend themselves. So it was our duty as well."

"Most commendable," the king nodded. "We realize that you did not come here to cause us harm. Yet you must forgive us if we are still… wary of your presence. A group such as yours has never come to our kingdom during the 100 years we have reigned."

"I must agree with my father," Prince Sidon nodded as he stepped next to the throne. "Some of your companions are unlike anything we've ever seen before. A talking cat, a floating imp and a woman who looks like a Keese and yet very different… the most normal-looking one among your group are the Hylian and the Gerudo. Please don't take this the wrong way, but you must admit that it is pretty unusual."

"We understand your cautiousness, Your Majesty. And I have to agree that you wouldn't find a lot of people within Hyrule that are like us. We have come from a faraway… kingdom, for a very important mission. Please allow me to introduce myself and my companions. I am Minako, formal leader during the absence of our prince and princess. This is Artemis, my close companion and advisor. Setsuna is our most experienced and knowledgeable member. Then there's Makoto, one of our strongest warriors. And finally, Hotaru, the youngest of our group." One after another, she gestured towards her friends, who all bowed their heads in front of the king. Hotaru even did a small curtsey in mid-air.

"Well met," the king said. "If you truly are peaceful, then you are welcome to stay. After what happened in our kingdom not too long ago, we've decided to be a bit more… hospitable towards strangers who come towards us. Especially if they decide to offer help. Our advisor Muzu would agree… wouldn't you, Muzu?" He glanced to his side, where a smaller, elderly Zora with wrinkles was standing, who ducked his head under his king's eyes.

"Oh yes, of course, my liege… we've certainly learned our lesson." He chuckled nervously. "Still, I have to say there are a lot of questions raised by the arrival of our guests, don't you agree?"

"Muzu is right about that," Sidon nodded. "And the most important question would be: What is that sword your tall companion is holding? Makoto, was it? Can I take a closer look at your weapon?"

"Um…" Makoto was a bit taken aback as the tall Zora stepped next to her. "Sure, I guess." She drew her sword and showed its gleaming blade to the Zoras."

Sidon gasped. "Father… are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"By the goddess Nayru!" Dorephan exclaimed. "It cannot be… the Master Sword?"

"That's impossible!" Muzu shouted. "Only the chosen hero may wield the Blade of Evil's Bane. And this young woman is definitely not the one!"

King Dorephan nodded. "Indeed, that would be the young Link. We know him well, very well…"

Makoto felt a bit uneasy as every eye in the room fell upon her and her new sword. "Your Majesty…" she finally spoke up. "It's true that I am not supposed to hold this sword. It just appeared to me and I was somehow able to use it. But I know it doesn't belong to me… that's why we are here. We are looking for the real owner of the Master Sword, so we can return it to him." She lowered her head. "It really wasn't my intention to take it away from him, I swear."

"Are we supposed to believe that?" Muzu screeched. "Legend tells us that no one can even lay a finger on the Master Sword, except the chosen one. Why would a random girl like you suddenly be able to wield it?"

"We believe that a powerful spell was cast here in Hyrule," Setsuna spoke up. "And this spell somehow caused the Master Sword to switch its allegiance to someone else. It was an accidental result, but I am still certain that it happened like that."

"A spell, you say?" The king frowned. "That could be a possibility. We must admit to our shame, that we are not too versed in the ways of magic, neither are my son and advisors."

"Yes, unfortunately," Sidon sighed. "My mother and sister… they probably could have known more about that. Sadly, they are… no longer among us." He looked at the ground.

Makoto looked up at the prince and felt a surge of pity. "It's horrible to lose your family…" she said quietly. "I've lost both of my parents…"

Sidon looked at her, first with surprise, then with a warm smile. "Makoto, I can tell you are just as brave and warm-hearted as my friend, Link. If that spell truly forced him to give up the Master Sword, I can see why it chose you as its next holder."

Makoto blushed a bit at the prince's words. "Um… th-thank you… Your Highness…"

He chuckled and then gave her a wide grin, which showed off his sparkling shark teeth. "Please, just call me Sidon."

Makoto just nodded as her blush increased.

"There is a lot more we need to discuss," Dorephan said. "But for now, I wish to consult with my advisors. Please stay around just a bit longer until we come to an agreement. And feel free to enjoy everything Zora's Domain has to offer, esteemed guests." He sat up a bit to give them another bow. A clear sign that the audience was over.

"Thank you very much for your time, Your Majesty," Setsuna said as she and the others bowed in return.

As they left the throne room, Minako couldn't help but chuckle and take a small jab with her elbow at Makoto. "Looks like you and the prince get along quite well, eh, Mako-chan?"

Makoto continued to blush as she stared straight ahead. "He looks just like my old senpai…"

Minako rolled her eyes. "Of course he does…"

* * *

"Where are you going?"

Zant turned around and saw Ghirahim looking after him. "I'm looking for Lord Ganondorf. He… I mean, she has been gone for far too long. I know the desert is pretty far away, but she shouldn't have left on her own in the first place, in an unfamiliar body, in an unfamiliar time. I will try to find her."

Ghirahim snorted dismissively. "And then you will get punished because you didn't do as you were told. And because you are unable to trust in your master. Do you seriously wish to incur her wrath?"

"You're not doing anything because you're enjoying the time you can laze around on the master's couch," Zant growled. "Well, I have waited enough. If you don't want to come along, fine by me. That means I'll be the only one to receive her thanks once she realizes she'll need help anyways."

"Fine!" Ghirahim spat. "If you know the master so well, then why don't you leave already? I'm getting sick of looking at your criminally unfashionable helmet."

"Fine!" Zant shouted back as he left.

"Fine!" Ghirahim stomped back to his couch.

The Bokoblins looked at each other. "Yuka think maybe sword boy and helmet boy fight like married couple?" Sayuri asked.

Yuka nodded. "Sayuri may be right."

"I've heard that!" Ghirahim shouted.

Zant left the coliseum ruins and started walking southwest. For a while, he contemplated summoning a twilight bird to serve him as a mount, then he discarded that idea. His powers over Twilight were foreign to this era and would only draw the attention of the Calamity. It was just a short walk after all, he'd be fine.

After a while, he entered a region that was very dry and mountainous, with several steep cliffs and canyons. Still, he kept following his path. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. And while he couldn't see them, he was indeed being followed by a pair of individuals. They were wearing strange, face-concealing masks and dark red outfits and clambered along the cliffs he was walking past, keeping a close eye on his every movement.

After a while, though, Zant became absolute certain that someone really was following him. He was insane, that was true, but that didn't mean he was stupid, absent-minded or inattentive. The two watchers were pretty good at keeping out of sight, but he was able to hear the small pebbles falling down the cliffs. Or maybe he had just become paranoid after spending so much time sitting on a throne that wasn't his.

In the end, he decided that it couldn't have been just his imagination. He stopped and yelled: "Show yourselves! Who dares spying on the great King of Shadows, Zant?"

For a while, nothing happened. But then the two spies dropped down from above, holding two very sharp-looking weapons that resembled a sickle.

"You are a fool for having come here," one of them said. "The eye of the Yiga was upon you ever since you've entered our territory."

Zant chuckled as he turned to face the two Yiga scouts. "It is you who are the fools," he said. "You pathetic little bandits have no idea who you're dealing with. I am a servant of the great master of evil, himself, Ganon!"

"You watch your mouth!" the second Yiga shouted. "The Yiga are the only loyal followers the great Ganon has, unless you're counting monsters. We are the only ones who decided to follow him on our own will."

"Servants of Ganon, really?" Zant sneered. "Keep telling yourselves that… he would never lower himself to accept lower lifeforms as you to serve him in any capacity."

"You've just sealed your own fate," the first Yiga member said in a dangerously low voice as he brandished his weapon. "In the name of our master… prepare to die!"

They both prepared to run towards their enemy, and Zant started reaching for his own serrated blades.

"Stop!"

Zant looked around in confusion, while the two scouts swiftly knelt to the ground and lowered their heads.

In a puff of smoke and strange-looking paper talismans, a rotund man wearing a similar outfit to those of the two scouts appeared. He wiggled a bit, crossed his arms and leaned to his left and right as he closely examined Zant.

Zant himself also leaned back and forth and wiggled his arms a bit as he himself watched the other man just as closely.

"Who are you supposed to be?" they both said at the same time.

"Master Kohga!" one Yiga scouts shouted. "Thank the Calamity you're here!"

Zant blinked a bit under his helmet. "Master who?"


	12. The Foot Clan's Newest Member

„Why did we have to go into the sewers?" Usagi whined as she and her team walked through the damp tunnels deep below New York City. "It's wet and cold and slimy and smelly down here."

"Calm down, Usagi," Krangtsuna said. "I know it's not pleasant, but according to this Casey Jones, his friends live down here, hiding from the public eye. And if they really are all mutants, I don't blame them for wanting to keep a low profile. Humans tend to be scared of the unknown."

"I know, but couldn't they have chosen a place that's a bit more… cozy?" Usagi sighed. "And this place reeks… just take a look at everything that's floating down there. Yuck!" She grimaced. "I bet that Rei doesn't have to wade through some icky muck at the moment."

"I'm not too fond of such places, either," Michiru said. "But sometimes, we must grin and bear it, no matter how unpleasant things might be. And to be honest…" She looked around. "This place isn't the worst I've seen."

"Are you saying you actually like crawling through a stinky sewer system?" Usagi was aghast.

Michiru shrugged. "It's not as bad as I feared. I actually feel kind of at home down here. Must be a gator thing."

"Gross…" Usagi muttered. "Let's just keep going and hope we find these... ninja turtles soon."

She then noticed that Chibiusa was falling behind. She had noticed that her future daughter had become unusually quiet ever since the battle in the streets. She didn't argue, complain or even tease Usagi. Instead, she kept looking back the way they came, through the dark tunnels.

"Hey… are you okay, kiddo?" Usagi asked her.

"No…" Chibiusa said in a small voice. "I'm worried about Diana, Usagi… we couldn't find any trace of her after we beat those stone girls. What if she's in trouble? What if she's hurt?"

"I'm sorry, Small Lady," Krangtsuna said in an apologetic voice. "Without any clues, we simply don't have the time to be looking for her. She could be anywhere. We would need help to find her. That's why it's best to pay a visit to Mr. Jones' friends before anything else."

"I still think I should have tried searching for her," Chibiusa sighed. "I could fly around with my clown car and look for her in the streets."

"I wouldn't worry too much, Chibiusa," Usagi said with a smile. "Diana's a moon cat, you know? And she's your advisor. That means she knows when she must be careful. After all, she's Luna's daughter. And that old cat always lectured me about being more careful whenever we're in an unfamiliar situation."

"You really think so?" Chibiusa looked up at her future mother with hopeful eyes.

"I'm sure of it," Usagi nodded. "Now, come along. The sooner we find those turtles, the sooner we can continue looking for Diana."

Chibiusa nodded back, having gained back a bit of confidence after Usagi's pep talk. "All right."

They kept walking for a while, and Chibiusa made sure not to fall behind anymore. "Now let's see…" Krangtsuna said as they reached a junction in the tunnels. "According to Mr. Jones, the correct path should be… to our left."

Michiru peered into the left tunnel. "Well, it's definitely a lot dryer in there… and less smelly. That's a good thing, right?"

"It still smells," Usagi muttered, as they continued to follow the path. "I just don't know how anyone could live down here."

"Oh, it's not nearly as bad if you've lived here for several years. You get used to the smell."

"Hmmm. Yeah, that actually makes sense," Usagi nodded… then she froze. "Wait a minute… who said that?" She nervously looked back and forth. The others were on guard as well.

"I apologize… but I've been watching you for a while now. I wanted to assure that you weren't with the Foot Clan… and that you weren't followed." A figure slowly emerged from the shadows behind them. It was a mutant turtle, just like Usagi… a bit bigger perhaps. He was wearing a blue bandana and carried a pair of blades that were strapped to his shell. "Now that I've listened to your conversations, I can safely assume that everything is all right."

"You followed us? Chibiusa wondered. "How? I've looked back several times and I've never saw you."

The turtle man smiled a bit. "You wouldn't have, kid. I was trained in the arts of ninjitsu… hiding in the shadows is one of our specialties. My name is Leonardo. Who are you and what brings you in the sewers?"

"Um… I'm Usagi, Usagi Tsukino." She decided that as the princess, it was her job to introduce herself and her group. "These are my friends Setsuna, Michiru and Chibiusa. A guy named Casey Jones told us we could find you here."

"Ah, so you've run into Casey? A good guy, even if he's a bit stubborn." Leonardo chuckled a bit. "Somewhat like one of my brothers. But if he sent you, then I know I can trust you. Also, it's always nice to know if there are new mutants in town. You're Japanese, aren't you?"

"How could you tell?" Usagi blurted out. "I thought… I'm talking English right now, aren't I?"

Leo smirked. "Yes, but it's your mannerisms and way of speaking. I've learned quite a bit about it from my sensei… he's from Japan as well. The way you fold your hands and bow when introducing yourself? Definitely a Japanese thing to do."

"You have a keen eye for such things," Krangtsuna said as she stepped forth. "We'd like to meet that sensei of yours, if that's possible."

Leo's gaze darkened a bit when he laid eyes on the robotic woman and the small brain creature inside. "He will want to meet you as well, but I'll be honest with you: Not all of my brothers will be as trustful as I am at the moment. Especially considering your appearance resembles that of one of our worst enemies."

"I assure you that Setsuna means you no harm," Usagi said. "Please believe me. We're not like those guys."

Leo thought about it for a moment, then he nodded. "All right. After all, I've decided to trust you, Tsukino-san. Come on, I'll show you the way to our secret hideout where you can meet my brothers and our sensei. We can discuss everything over some pizza, you guys look like you're hungry."

Usagi's eyes lit up when she heard that. "Did you say pizza?"

* * *

Donatello was sitting in his workshop. He was straining all his brain cells to come up with a plausible explanation for Mikey's and Leatherhead's transformations. It wasn't an easy task, since his expertise was machines, not genetics. He still felt he knew enough about mutations that he should be able to find a logical solution soon.

"I don't get it," he muttered. "It couldn't have been a mutation… at least not caused by the usual mutagen stuff Shredder and Krang use. Maybe it was some sort of transmutation ray? But then how was it able to affect them down here in the sewers?"

He wasn't willing to accept the more illogical explanation quite yet: That their change was caused by something mystical… or even magical. Even though he and his brothers had witnessed a couple of events in their lives that could only be described as supernatural, his brain was used to think scientifically… and magic just wasn't something that science could explain.

And how would the Shredder be able to use magic anyway? By stealing a magician's wand?

Donnie pushed the ridiculous image of Shredder with a magic wand, riding on a broomstick into the farthest corner of his mind and focused back on his work. A transmutation ray really was the most logical explanation. He didn't know what anyone would gain by turning Mikey or the alligator into human girls… but that wasn't the main issue right now. It could have easily been a failed experiment.

After a while, he felt hungry and decided to get a small snack from the fridge. "Even Einstein and Newton knew: A hungry brain is a unfocussed brain." He chuckled to himself and opened the door to leave his workshop…

…only to bump into someone as he stepped out. At first he thought it had to be Raph or Leo, and he opened his mouth to inform them of the current state of his research… but then he realized that this turtle mutant was a bit smaller and petite than either of them. And most importantly, she was female. Donatello was so taken aback that he forgot to close his mouth.

"Oops," the turtle girl grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about this. I thought this was the kitchen. They said there were some milkshakes in the fridge, and I'm feeling kind of thirsty. Oh, I'm Usagi, by the way." She gave him a polite bow. "Pleased to meet you."

Donnie then realized that his mouth was still hanging open, so he closed it. "Ummm… likewise… Donatello. The kitchen is… that way."

"I knew it, I should have gone left instead of right," she sighed. "This place is sooo confusing… oh, no offense. I know this is your home. Thank youuu!" And she ran off towards the kitchen.

Confused, Donatello entered the living room… where he saw Leo, Raph, Mona and Splinter sitting together with several people he never met before. An even smaller turtle girl with little spikes on her shell, an alligator woman and for some reason, a brain creature just like Krang that was sitting in a robotic suit that looked like a woman. Scratching his head, the turtle genius tried to make sense of what he saw. "What… is going on here?"

"Ah, Donatello, there you are," Splinter said. "As you can see, we have guests. I just introduced everyone else. Honored guests from Japan, this is Donatello."

A round of 'hellos' echoed through the room. Dumbfounded, Donnie just raised a hand in greeting.

Michiru raised an eye ridge in amusement. "Leonardo, Raphael and now Donatello? I'm noticing a theme here." She then opened her gator mouth to take a ladylike bite out of her pizza slice.

Splinter laughed merrily. "Indeed, I admit that my fondness for classic art influenced my decision when I named my four sons."

"Four sons? Don't you mean three sons and a daughter?" Usagi asked as she came back into the room behind Donatello, sipping on a milkshake. She was looking at Mona Lisa.

"Oh no," Mona blushed a bit. "My name is just a coincidence. I'm not really part of this family… I'm just a friend. The fourth son Master Splinter was talking about is Michelangelo."

"Can someone please fill me in?" Donatello asked as he sat down. "Who are these people? Wait…" He took a closer look at Michiru. "Leatherhead?"

She frowned. "Now that is a rude thing to say, don't you think? My name is Michiru."

"April took Leatherhead and Mikey to do some shopping for new clothes," Leo explained. "Although Mikey really needed some convincing first…"

* * *

"Do we really have to do this, April?" Michelangelo sighed in her high voice. "I really don't wanna try on girl clothes."

"But you really need more than what you're wearing at the moment," April insisted as she dragged the transformed turtle through the aisles of her favorite clothing store. "Come on, just try some. Maybe you'll like it. Trying out clothes can be a lot of fun."

"If only they had more cool stuff instead of all these frilly things…" Mikey muttered.

"Ah, so I take it she's a bit of a tomboy?" the saleswoman chuckled. "Don't worry, we've had a lot of mothers bringing their daughters here who were like that. Maybe she'll find something among our supply of streetwear."

"Oh, she's not my daughter," April said with a light blush. She took a quick glance at her reflection in one of the store's mirrors. She didn't look that old, did she? "This is my niece… Michelle." She nodded. "Yes, Michelle. I'm taking her shopping because her parents don't have the time to look after her."

Mikey was about to open her mouth in protest, when the woman grabbed her arms to take a closer look at her clothes. "Oh, you poor thing… and they never bought you anything nice to wear, I take it? Oh, but don't you worry. I'm sure we'll find something nice for you. Just come with me… Miss O'Neil, how about I help dear Michelle to find whatever she needs. And you take care of that… other young lady you brought with you." She threw a stern look towards Leatherhead, who was standing near a rack of clothes… which she kept throwing on the floor with frustrated snarls.

April sighed. "I'm sorry about her. She can be a bit… difficult."

"So I've seen," the salesclerk frowned. "Is she your niece, too? Please tell her to clean up that mess before you leave."

"Yes, of course," April muttered as she walked over to the rummaging gator girl. "Come on now… Heather, don't just throw everything in a pile like that."

With a growl, 'Heather' turned around. "This is stupid," she grumbled. "Why are we wasting our time like this, woman? I'm perfectly satisfied with my old duds, ya get me? And nothing of this garbage is something I would be caught wearing anyways. Just get me out of this ridiculous place or I'll throw even more stuff on the ground, I guarantee!"

But April was having none of that. "Now listen here, missy!" she shouted. She reached out and grabbed the girl by her ear, so she let out a yelp of surprise and pain. "I've volunteered to offer you time and money to bring you to this place so that you can something nice and presentable to wear, instead of those rags you call clothing. Now you can either be a nice girl, tidy up this mess and then choose something for yourself… or you can leave right now and let yourself be ridiculed by every New Yorker citizen on the street as you bumble around half-naked, stealing from butchery shops and being stuck in this form. Because we definitely won't help someone who's acting like the ungrateful little brat you currently are! Got it?"

Leatherhead winced. "Yeah, yeah, I gotcha, I'll behave, I promise… now let go of me already, ya dumb…"

April intensified her glare… and her grip on the girl's ear. "What was that?"

"Ow, ow, ow! I, I mean… please let go… Aunt… April…"

With a satisfied smile, April released her 'niece's' ear. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it? Now be a good girl and pick up those dresses before they get dirty."

Humiliated, Heather squashed the urge to let out another growl of frustration and started picking up the clothes.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Raphael said. "You're saying that Mikey and old scaleface are like this because they got your powers? And you… you got theirs? And the same thing happened to Krang?" He stared at Krangtsuna.

"Well, that's just the short version," Krangtsuna said. "But that about sums it up, yes."

"Oh please…" Raph groaned, rolling his eyes. "That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"Hey, are you saying we're lying?" Usagi glared at him.

"It would be a rather big coincidence that these three appear so shortly after what happened to Michelangelo," Splinter pointed out. "It sounds like a fantastic story, for certain… but then again, if anybody told me in my youth that I would one day live in the sewers of New York, transformed into a humanoid rat, raising four turtles to be my sons and teaching them the ways of the ninja… I think I wouldn't believe that either."

"But Sensei," Donatello spoke up. "Do you really think it could all be true? I mean, what they've told us… magical warriors… transformation pens… And if there really was something like an ancient kingdom on the moon, NASA would have found some remains by now, don't you think?"

"Hellooo!" Chibiusa shouted. "We told you we're from another world."

"So what if you are?" Donnie shouted back. "Even if parallel universes exist… why would it be any different there? If there's a NASA in your world, it would have discovered something too."

"Donatello…" Splinter said gently, but with a slight scolding in his voice. "Your scientific mind is a great gift that helped you and your brothers a lot in your past. But you shouldn't let it cloud your judgement. Try to open your mind to other possibilities that might not be able to explain with modern science."

Don groaned in frustration. He didn't like it when he couldn't analyze a situation from a scientific standpoint.

"Hey, it's okay," Usagi said. "I don't always understand everything either, but sometimes, you just have to accept things as they are. I didn't want to believe it either when I first found out that I was a magical warrior. As for the science stuff… I'm sure my friend Ami could explain everything to you." She sighed. "Too bad she's not here at the moment."

"Okay… let us assume for a moment that everything you said is correct," Leonardo said. "How exactly can we fix this? If your and Mikey's transformations were caused by magic… can't you use your magic to turn everything back the way it should be?"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Krangtsuna explained. "It was an enormous surge of power that switched our appearances and abilities with your brother and everyone else. The best chance we have to turn everyone back to normal, is to find everyone and bring them all together at one place."

"So that means we can't do anything unless without Krang," Raph grumbled. "What a coincidence, right? You know what I think? I think you're making all of this up. This is all part of a scheme, isn't it? And you're one of Krang's people who came here from Dimension X to help him conquer earth." He accusingly pointed a finger at Krangtsuna.

"Settle down, Raph," Leo glowered. "Wild accusations aren't helping us in any form."

"Are you honestly willing to believe that crap?" Raph glared at him.

"Hey! Why don't you shut your big mouth for once, you big meanie?" Chibiusa shouted.

Raphael jumped to his feet and gritted his teeth. "Why, you little…"

Donatello sweatdropped. "Come on, Raph… don't start fighting with the little girl."

"Raphael!" Splinter sternly said. "Calm yourself!"

Raphael clenched his fists, took a deep breath and sat back down. "Yes, Sensei…" he muttered under his breath.

Splinter let his gaze sweep across the room. "Until we know more… we should accept that these young ladies are here, seeking help. They helped Casey fight Krang's soldiers and they came into our home as guests. So we shall treat them as such. And remember what I taught you, my sons… help others before helping yourself. Or else we won't be any better than the Shredder."

He looked at Usagi earnestly. "You are welcome to stay here as long as you're in New York. And we will do whatever we can to help you find your friend." He gave Chibiusa a warm smile.

She smiled back. "Thank you, Splinter-ojisan. I just hope… Diana's all right."

* * *

Diana looked down at herself. "What… what happened? What did you do to me?"

She was confused. Everything was so much smaller than before. She wasn't the same little kitten that used to follow Small Lady everywhere. Instead, she had the body of a teenaged human girl, pretty tall for her age, with a slender build and strong, athletic arms and legs. She was still covered in the same lavender fur as usual, and she also still had her tail. But when she looked at her reflection in the glass wall of her cell, she saw that her face had changed quite a bit. It wasn't as cute as it used to be, instead, she saw the feral image of a wildcat that scared her quite a bit.

Nervously, she hugged herself and paced back and forth in her cell. The remaining green goop had been cleaned off by now, but the result was what remained. Instead of a small moon kitten, Diana had transformed into a cat mutant, taller than most human children would be. Her muscles had also increased dramatically, she felt as if she could run a marathon.

Still, she was afraid. She didn't know what those scare people would do with her. She glanced to her right and saw that the other two animals had changed as well… and they were even scarier than before. The snapper turtle was now a towering behemoth of a mutant, with razor-sharp claws and teeth, as well as a shell that was covered in spikes. And the wolf cub had turned into what she could only describe as a feral-looking werewolf. It was glaring at her through the glass with gleaming red eyes, and she hoped that it wasn't planning on eating her.

She jumped in fright as the door to the cell block opened, and the man who called himself Shredder entered. "Well, well, well," he said with a smug voice. "Looks like our new pets are slowly getting used to their new bodies."

"What do you want from me?" Diana asked in a shaking voice. "Why did you turn me into this?"

Shredder chuckled. "My little kitten, you and these other two are the first in my new army of loyal mutants. A special platoon of powerful soldiers who will obey everything I say. Together with Krang's troops from Dimension X, we will finally conquer this town, defeat those pathetic turtles and conquer the world!"

"M-m-me?" she almost squeaked. "I'm not a soldier… I've never even fought before. I'm just an advisor to Small Lady…"

"Nevertheless, you WILL obey me!" Shredder thundered. "From this day on, you beasts shall only address me as 'Master Shredder'!"

"No! I don't want to listen to someone like you," Diana shouted. "I don't want to be here. I don't want to be a soldier. I want to be a little kitten again…"

"You are a stubborn one, aren't you?" Shredder asked. "But I thought you wouldn't be ready to cooperate. That's why I brought this." He held up a strange metal ring. "Do you see this? This little device is one of Krang's latest designs. We've had quite a few problems with disobedient mutants before, you know? Mutants tend to have this annoying little thing called 'free will'. So if you want to have some mutant followers, you either need to find some that are too stupid without a leader… or you need to force them to obey you. And that's what these controller rings are for."

Diana let out a strangled mewl as a small door in the back of her cell slid open, and a little robot on wheels came rolling towards her. Within its extendable arms, it held another metal ring. Scared, Diana backed off into a corner while the robot slowly approached her.

"No, I don't want this!" she shouted as the robot stretched out its arms. "Please, just let me go, let me…"

But then the robot put the ring on her head, she heard a small buzzing noise and then…

Her mind felt free all of a sudden. She wasn't afraid anymore. And she wasn't confused. Everything was fine. Being a mutant was a good thing. After all, how else could she serve her Master Shredder? No need to worry. Simply serving was so much easier.

She stood up straight and turned towards her new master, giving him a bow. "I live to serve, Master Shredder," she said in a flat voice.

Shredder grinned as he observed his new little minion. Next to her, the wolf and snapper turtle were doing the same. "Good, very good," he chuckled. "Now listen to me: From this day, your past will mean nothing. Only your life as a member of the Foot Clan matters. And you will be given new names… Tokka… Rahzar… and Claw!" He pressed a button on the console, and the glass walls slid open.

Together with her fellow mutants, the Foot Soldier called Claw stepped forth and knelt down in front of her clan leader.

"All hail the Foot Clan!" she said in her flat voice. "All hail Master Shredder!"


	13. A Meeting of Heroes

Catra and Grizzlor were two of the Horde soldiers Hordak had taken along during his visit on Eternia. At the moment, the two of them were inspecting Snake Mountain's armory.

"This place is a mess," Grizzlor grumbled. The fur-covered hulk of a beast snorted with disdain as he tested the weight of a war axe. "Nothing but the most basic of equipment. Would it hurt them to put a couple more firearms in here?"

"I hear you," Catra nodded. "The technological supplies in here are a laugh. Nothing compared to the Fright Zone back on Etheria."

"And that's not everything," Grizzlor growled. "The suspension bridge feels like it could collapse whenever you cross it, the wolf head in the cliff keeps howling at me, and the giant snake on top of the mountain looks like it could come to life any moment."

"You would think Skeletor could manage to build up a much more suitable fortress," Catra said as she rummaged through an assortment of daggers. "How long has he been trying to conquer Eternia? Ten years, or maybe twenty? Hordak's takeover of Etheria was much faster… and more efficient." She let out a dismissive hiss. "And his followers are just as incompetent."

"It's true," Grizzlor nodded. "And they can't even come up with their own battle strategies. Have you heard what Beast Man said to me in the training hall this morning? He complained that I'm 'imitating his style'." The furred beast snarled angrily. "If anything, he's copying me!"

"Yes, I've heard similar complaints from Two-Bad about Modulok, and from Evil-Lyn about Shadow Weaver," Catra sighed. "Idiots… the Evil Horde has been around for a much longer time than their silly little band of miscreants." She then smirked. "At least I can say with certainty that no one ever managed to copy my style. After all, do you know of any other transforming felines?"

* * *

At the same time, in completely different places, Battle Cat, Luna and Diana felt the sudden urge to sneeze.

* * *

While his soldiers were waiting for their next instructions, Hordak was heading to Snake Mountain's spell chamber, situated high above the remaining hideout. Just as Grizzlor and Catra did, he missed a few of the modern advantages that came with living in a high-tech stronghold such as the Fright Zone.

But unlike them, he knew that Skeletor's hideout in Snake Mountain had a few other benefits that the Fright Zone didn't have. For example, it was situated in a spot that was rich with magical energies, so that magic rituals and incantations were much easier to perform than anywhere else. That's why he didn't share the disdain his men held towards Snake Mountain. In fact, he had planned to use it as a stronghold back when he had planned to conquer Eternia.

That was before Skeletor betrayed him and he was forced to stay on Etheria, of course.

The ruthless leader of the Evil Horde shook his fist. "Curse you, Skeletor… every minute I stay in this place reminds me of that awful day of failure. I could have ruled over both Eternia and Etheria, if it wasn't for your meddling schemes… I guess I failed as a teacher, too, if I was unable to predict this."

"If you keep blabbering about the past, do you have to do it in front of my spell chamber?" Skeletor's voice echoed through the door. "Either come in and say your part or leave me be. Your irritating voice is disturbing my concentration."

Hordak entered with an annoyed snort and walked towards Skeletor, who was standing in front of his giant table of incantations, which was chiseled from an enormous chunk of solid marble. A pair of candelabras were standing to his left and right, and in the middle of the table was one of Skeletor's many spell books.

For a moment, Hordak watched his former apprentice studying the ancient spells in the book. His new, female form was much more slender and less impressive than his original one. But the new armor she was wearing suited her body pretty well, and the dark cloak and hood made her appear even more like a sinister sorceress than Evil-Lyn's attire did. Hordak always thought that little crown-helmet-thingy she was wearing looked ridiculous.

"Is there anything you wanted to say, Hordak?" Skeletor finally broke the silence. "Or did you simply come up here to stare daggers into my back?" Her new voice was much more melodious than the annoying screech of a voice she used to have, but Hordak was still able to recognize the arrogant and whiny tone of his former apprentice in there.

"I have come because I am tired of waiting, Skeletor," Hordak said. "You've shut yourself away in here for hours and didn't talk to anyone. Meanwhile, our men have discovered that the Eternians are assembling troops that begin to approach Snake Mountain. Haven't I taught you that striking first is the best way to gain the advantage?"

"First of all, those are most certainly not your men, Hordak," Skeletor replied without turning around. "They are MY men! And I definitely remember your lessons well. Didn't you also teach me to never go into a critical situation unprepared?" She finally turned her head and gestured at the book. "I've been doing research. Those new powers I've gained are unlike anything I've ever felt before. So I tried gathering whatever information I could find that might tell me what they are."

"And were you successful?" Hordak stepped next to her and looked at the book.

"More successful than you've ever been," Skeletor arrogantly commented. Hordak decided to ignore that snide remark. "Modulok told you about the shared memories he gained from the person his new body used to belong to, didn't he?"

Hordak was surprised. "How did you…?"

"Oh please…" Skeletor grinned. "You have your little spies, I have mine. Don't forget that this is MY stronghold, Hordak. You can't keep any secrets from me in here."

The Horde leader gritted his teeth. "It seems I have underestimated you. Very well… what did you discover?"

"Quite a bit, actually," Skeletor said. "The former owner of these powers wasn't just any regular sorceress or magic warrior, you see? On her own world, she was a guardian. In a way, she was similar to the Sorceress. But instead of Castle Grayskull, she guarded something else… something that sounds even more promising than the powers of Grayskull."

That caught Hordak's attention. "Really? I never thought I'd hear you say something like this. The secrets beneath Castle Grayskull have always been your driving motivation."

"They still are," Skeletor asserted. "But having access to two sources of power would be much better than just one, don't you agree?"

"I'm actually surprised you decided to share this information with me," Hordak grunted. "Back in the days, you would have never hesitated to backstab me whenever you got the chance."

"Maybe I would have. But Modulok could have found out the same thing. And at the moment, it's probably the best not to lose your support. To me, sharing the results of our research is definitely more preferable than you finding it out on your own and then using it to backstab ME."

Hordak had to smirk at that. "How refreshingly honest of you. But I suppose you are right. So, about this new source of power…"

"Ah yes, that's the most exciting part," Skeletor said with a grin that rivaled her old skull face. "This person, this… Senshi used to be the guardian of the Gates of Time. She could use it to look into the far past as well as into the future. And not only that… as the guardian of time, she was also able to use its powers for herself."

"The powers of time?" Hordak was immensely intrigued by this revelation. He imagined how these powers could be used to conquer not only Eternia, but countless other worlds as well. But the problematic part was: These powers now belonged to Skeletor. And there were a lot of horrible things he could do with them to make things infinitely worse for Hordak and the Horde. How could he ever defend himself from someone who could look into the past, present and future?

"Unfortunately, I can't access the Gates of Time at the moment," Skeletor sighed. "It's almost like some outside force greater as mine is preventing me from gaining entrance. So for the time being, I have to make do with what I have. Some of my old books are telling stories about guardians other than the Sorceress, who used to protect not only the power of Grayskull, but also greater powers such as time, space and the balance of the universe."

"I see… so it might be possible that the Gates of Time exist in our universe as well," Hordak pondered, rubbing his chin. "In that case, I agree that more research will be necessary… but for now, we still need to deal with the threat of the incoming troops of Eternos." He scowled. "And if they are coming, we can be certain that He-Man will not be far behind."

"Yes, yes…" Skeletor rolled her eyes. "That muscle-bound cretin always seems to find ways to ruin my day. But not if I have anything to say about it!" She closed the book and walked towards the exit. "Make sure your small band of bodyguards is ready for battle, Hordak. Those fools won't stand against the combined forces of us both."

Hordak was about to follow Skeletor, as she left the room… but then his gaze fell on the book he left laying behind. "I agree," he muttered. "We should definitely be prepared… for all eventualities."

He tried to reach out for the book, but quickly realized that it was under a protection spell that kept anyone from removing it from the table. Of course, as Skeletor's teacher, Hordak was a powerful wizard as well. Coming up with a counterspell to remove the book would be no problem for him at all.

But then again, why bother with a spell if there are easier ways around a problem? Hordak took a small device from his satchel, aimed it at the book and pressed a button. In a flash of light, the book disappeared.

"Sometimes, technology does trump magic," Hordak chuckled to himself as he put the teleportation device back and activated a small communicator. "Modulok? I've sent you a book that you might find interesting. Read everything you can find and see if it helps you gather more of that Senshi's memory. Oh, and make sure to keep it out of sight from Skeletor's goons."

With a satisfied grin, Hordak left the spell chamber and went to prepare his soldiers for the upcoming battle.

* * *

Meanwhile, Battle Cat was carrying He-Man and Adora to Castle Grayskull, as fast as he could.

"Hang on tight, Adora," He-Man said. "When Battle Cat is at his top speed, things tend to get a bit bumpy."

"Now don't you worry a bit," Adora said as she sat behind him. "I've been riding Swift Wind for almost as long as you were riding Battle Cat. And he can fly."

Battle Cat let out a roar. "He may be able to fly, but I doubt he can fly or run as fast as a green tiger."

"I'm sure the two of you can figure this out in a race, as soon as you meet again," He-Man chuckled. "But for now, let's keep moving. The Sorceress sounded pretty serious. Whoever these visitors are, they must be pretty important."

"Wait, He-Man!" Adora pointed ahead. "Do you see that? Coming down that hill, it looks like a small group of travelers."

"Yes, I see them too," He-Man nodded. "Maybe those are the visitors the Sorceress mentioned. Slow down, Battle Cat."

The huge tiger let out another roar and began to reduce speed, as they approached an unusual assortment of humans and other creatures… which were none other than Endymion and the former Sailor Senshi.

"Whoa nelly!" Rei said, jumping back a bit as the tiger came towards them. "Who in tarnation are those guys?" She then took a good look at the tall muscular man who was sitting on the tiger's back. At this point, she was glad that she had fur, because otherwise, her blush would have turned her face as red as the skirt of her sailor fuku. 'Dagnabbit…' she thought to herself. 'The one time I meet a hunk of a man, and I'm stuck in the body of a horse.'

"They must be two of Eternia's champions," Haruka said. "That Sorceress lady told me someone else would be coming."

"So you are the ones the Sorceress invited?" He-Man asked as he jumped off Battle Cat's back. "Quite the unusual group you have there. I am He-Man, defender of Castle Grayskull. And these are Adora and Battle Cat."

"Pleased to meet you," Endymion said as he bowed in front of him. "I am Prince Endymion of Earth, and these are my companions Rei, Ami, Setsuna, Haruka and Luna."

"Earth, you say?" He-Man rubbed his chin. "Now where have I heard that name before?"

Adora was about to say something, when her gaze fell upon Haruka. "Wait a minute!" she gasped. "That's my sword you're holding… and that armor… why are you wearing it? You're not She-Ra!"

"What? This is your sword?" Haruka asked in surprise. She sighed. "Believe me, I really didn't want to use it at all. But since I lost my own powers, I had no choice… those Snake Men in the swamp would have overwhelmed us. On the other hand, you seem to be carrying my old sword." She pointed at the space sword hanging from Adora's hip.

"You came through Snake Men territory?" He-Man asked. "That's a dangerous place."

"Yeah, but only because that stupid portal dropped us in the middle of the swamp," Rei grumbled, glaring at Skeletsuna.

"I told you I was sorry," the skull-faced woman said with a nervous chuckle.

"I'm starting to realize where this is going," He-Man said as he looked closer at Skeletsuna and Ami. These two look very similar to Skeletor and Modulok… and Light Hope already told you that your powers were switched with someone else's. The same thing must have happened to those two villains." He sighed. "Of all the people, it just had to be Skeletor…"

"So you know the people we switched with?" Ami asked. "And you said they are.. villains?" She started to get the feeling that she really didn't want to meet the guy who had claimed her Mercury powers.

"Unfortunately, we do," Adora sighed. "Skeletor is one of the most cunning enemies Eternia ever had. Together with his evil warriors, he's hiding in the depths of Snake Mountain, trying to take the powers of Grayskull for his own time and time again. And Modulok is a servant of the Evil Horde, another dangerous group of villains."

"Sounds like you have quite a lot of enemies," Endymion realized. "But we can only sympathize, we've had our fair share of dangerous opponents, too."

"Can we keep going for now, please? My fur is still coated with mud, and I would like to reach this castle before sunset," Luna muttered.

"I can help you clean it off, beautiful," Battle Cat suggested with a big, feline grin.

"Nice try, big guy," Luna growled. "But I already have a boyfriend and a daughter."

"Aw, that's too bad," Battle Cat sighed.

"Luna is right though," Skeletsuna said. "We should get going. We can still talk while we're on our way."

"I agree, let's go," He-Man nodded as they all started walking together. "It's not too far from here, though. Castle Grayskull should be right behind this next ridge of hills."

Haruka walked next to Adora. "Um… do you want to have your sword back for now?"

Adora frowned. "I really want to, but I doubt it's going to be that easy. If you were able to use it, then it sees you as its new wielder. And I don't think it's going to recognize me until we can set things right somehow."

"She is right, Haruka," Skeletsuna nodded. "These artifacts and the powers they command are tied to your fates. And the power surge through the portals really scrambled them up, so to speak. We need to have everyone in Eternia, who was affected, to be in one place. Then everyone should return to normal… in theory, at least."

"Oh well, it sounded to good to be true," Haruka sighed. "Looks like you'll have to get used to using the powers of a Sailor Senshi, too. I can give you a few hints, if you want."

Adora smiled. "That would be pretty useful. Thank you."

Meanwhile, Luna was quite grateful that Battle Cat's attention was redirected towards Rei, who was trotting beside him.

"And what are you supposed to be?" the tiger growled. "Are you that prince's mount? You look a little scrawny to be a war horse… no offense."

"None taken, I guess," Rei grumbled. "And to be perfectly honest, sugarcube? I haven't got the slightest idea what I'm supposed to be. The one I switched with isn't from this world or my own. And to tell y'all the truth, I'd rather be human again. This body is actually stronger than it looks, but whenever I get sweaty, I'm starting to stink like a pigsty. And these gosh-darn countryisms are gettin' on my apple-picking nerves!"

Battle Cat sweatdropped at the little pony's sudden outburst of anger. "Um… I understood only about half of what you just said, but I get the feeling that you're feeling upset about something."

"I think we're all a bit frustrated after everything that happened," Endymion said.

"So who did you switch with? Someone else from Eternia?" He-Man asked.

The earth prince shook his head. "Oh no, I wasn't changed at all. This is who I really am. I was one of the few among us who got lucky… well… not too lucky, considering that all of my friends have been turned into monsters or talking animals."

"Hey, I'm a talking animal, and you don't see me complaining," Battle Cat growled.

"Oh no? Then imagine being turned into a human, unable to return to your rightful body," Luna said.

"Ugh!" Battle Cat shivered at the image. "That would be horrible! It's bad enough I have to turn back into a scared weakling… being a scared, weakling HUMAN would be even worse!"

"Honestly, the surge could have affected anyone," Skeletsuna pointed out. "If you three were the changed ones here in Eternia, then we would be able to turn everyone back and end our mission right here, right now."

"Don't worry, we'll help you get your powers and old bodies back," He-Man promised. "Skeletor can be annoying to deal with, but we've handled him dozens of times. But first… we've almost arrived."

Together, they all walked up a steep hill. The terrain had become even more rocky and barren than before, and the sky was covered with black clouds. As they reached the hilltop, they saw an enormous ravine in front of them, so deep that they were unable to see its bottom.

And on the other side of the ravine was Castle Grayskull.

"Here we are," He-Man said. "Castle Grayskull. Normally, we wouldn't allow any strangers to enter. But the Sorceress invited you, so it's no problem."

"And how are we supposed to cross over there?" Rei asked. "Fly? In case you haven't noticed, I'm not a pegasus."

"Flying won't be necessary," He-Man said as he pointed into the sky. "Look."

A lone falcon was circling high above them. Its feathers were very colorful and reminded Haruka of something. "Wait…" she said. "Is that…?"

"That is Zoar," He-Man explained. "The form the Sorceress takes when she leaves Castle Grayskull. She has been watching us for a while. And she's welcoming us in."

Zoar landed high on top of one the castle's towers, where she transformed into the same beautiful woman Haruka had seen in her visions. In her hands, she was holding a staff, which she raised high above her head. A single bolt of lightning crackled down, and then… the gates of Castle Grayskull opened. The heavy drawbridge lowered itself, creating a path for the heroes to cross the ravine.

For a moment, the former Senshi and their friends were dazed in awe as they looked upon the dark entrance deep inside the castle's skull mouth. It looked like it was drawing them in, swallowing them all at once.

Endymion then stepped onto the drawbridge. "Well then…" he said. "Let's not keep her waiting."

With a nod, He-Man stepped next to him. The two warriors walked in front of their friends as they all entered the castle. Right behind the entrance was an enormous hall. Massive stone statues were standing to their left and right. The visitors felt overwhelmed in this place. As a building, Castle Grayskull was impressive enough. But they all could feel that somewhere, deep below them, something ancient and powerful was resting. Especially Haruka felt a certain… connection to this place.

She turned to face Adora, lowering her voice as she spoke: "Your sword… it came from here, didn't it?"

Adora nodded slowly. "There are two swords of great magical power that can grant two chosen ones the power of Grayskull," she explained. "Mine is… or was the Sword of Protection. It allowed me to turn into She-Ra."

Haruka remembered the first time she used the sword to transform. Even more than before, she felt that she held something that was not hers. She was not the sword's chosen one. "And… the other one?"

"The second sword is the Sword of Power," Adora explained. "And it belongs to… my brother."

"Your brother?" Haruka wondered. "Who is your brother?"

"That would be me," He-Man said with a slight smirk. "My real name is Adam… Prince Adam of the royal house of Randor. You must know that we usually cannot tell anyone of our true identities. But in this case, it really can't be helped. Since you're the only one who can use my sister's power at the moment, you needed to know that she is the one who needs it back."

"I understand… so you're taking a great risk here, revealing your secrets to us," Endymion realized.

He-Man nodded. "That's right. And while I can already tell that you are honest people, I need to implore you not to share this secret with anybody."

Endymion exchanged a quick look with his friends, who nodded as one.

"You have our word," Luna said. "We all know how important and difficult it is to keep a secret from everyone else in the world."

"Yes, we all have our own secret identities," Ami said. "But here on this other world, it doesn't really mean much. You don't know anything about us or the place we came from."

"It is the truth," a gentle voice spoke up in front of them. The darkness was driven away, as the Sorceress came walking towards them. "You were never supposed to visit this world, brave warriors. But now you are here. And we must work together to set everything right again. But first, let me welcome you…" She bowed her head. "Welcome to Eternia. And welcome… to Castle Grayskull."


	14. Ponies, Koopas and Hedgehogs

The Sun was rising over Equestria, the magical land of ponies… and at Sweet Apple Acres, the apple farm close to the small town of Ponyville, it was a quiet and peaceful morning.

When she heard the rooster crowing, Applejack slowly opened her eyes and let out a big yawn. Normally, she was a morning pony, but this morning, she felt unusually sluggish and slow, as if she didn't have full control over her body.

"Nothing a good cup of warm apple cider can't fix…" she mumbled to herself as she slid out of bed to stand on her four hooves. At least, that's what she was trying to do.

She froze when her limbs touched the ground. For some reason, the floor of her room felt harder than usual, and her hooves soft and dainty. Before she was even able to wonder why that was, she lost her balance and fell down. "Owww…" she groaned. "What… what in the world…?" She looked back at her body and gasped. Instead of her normal pony body, she saw something that she had never seen before. The hairless creature she had become looked like hairless monkey with long hind legs and hands instead of hooves. No wonder her sense of balance was all messed up.

"What happened to me?" she muttered as she tried to sit up. Trying to move a two-legged body was a weird experience, so she needed a couple of tries until she succeeded. Carefully, she examined every bit of her changed self. Her fingers were like squiggly noodles, her face was weird and flat, with no muzzle to speak of, there was a couple of strange, pillowy bumps on her chest, and the long, blonde hair on her head was more or less the only hair she had left. It was also the only bit of her body that resembled her old self.

Then she thought of something. "Wait a minute… didn't Twilight tell us of a similar experience when she first went through that mirror and into that other dimension? That weird place with those… what did she call them… humans?"

But if this was what a human looked like… how come she looked like one, even though she never even set hoof through that mirror? Or did somepony take her while she was sleeping? She looked around. Everything looked like her own room in Sweet Apple Acres. But Twilight did say the human world was some sort of parallel dimension, with other versions of herself and her other friends running around. So maybe this was Sweet Apple Acres from that world?

When she heard a knock at her door, she instinctively reached for her blanket to cover herself. She didn't even know why she did it. It's not like she normally wore clothes. She tried not to think about it too much and held her breath as she waited.

"Applejack?" That was the voice of her younger sister, Apple Bloom. "Are you up yet? Something weird is going on outside. Granny just looked at the orchard, and somepony tied slips of paper to their trunks. You gotta come see this." She opened the door. "Applejack?"

They both gasped at the same time. Applejack, because she realized that her sister still looked like a normal pony. Which meant she still was in Equestria. Apple Bloom, on the other hoof, saw a weird, two-legged creature sitting in her sister's room.

"AAAAAAAAAH!" she yelled. "Granny, Big Mac! There's a strange naked diamond dog sittin' in Applejack's room!"

Applejack groaned as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, for Celestia's sake, stop shouting, Apple Bloom. Don't you recognize your big sister?"

"Aaaah!" the filly continued to yell. "The diamond dog ate Applejack and spoke with her voice!"

But then, she got bumped on the head, courtesy of Granny Smith, who just appeared beside her. "Good gravy, girl, stop yer hollerin' and get yer sister somethin' warm she can put on. She must be freezin'."

Applejack let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Granny… so you recognize me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" the matriarch of the apple family snorted. "Ah've been wipin' yer baby bottom ever since ya were a lil' filly. Ah'm sure I would recognize my granddaughter, even if she turned into an oversized, furry, tap-dancin' parasprite."

"Applejack?" Apple Bloom blinked in confusion. "That's really you? What happened?"

"I really don't know, Apple Bloom," Applejack sighed. "But I know that I need to talk to Twilight, and fast."

"Wow… you look really weird. But don't worry," the filly smiled. "If anypony knows what's goin' on, it's gotta be Twilight."

"Didn't I tell ya ta get yer sister somethin' warm?" Granny snapped.

"Oh, right! Sorry, Granny!" Apple Bloom squeaked as she quickly ran off.

Granny then took a deep breath. "Are you feeling all right, Applejack?"

"Yeah… I think so," the human girl nodded. "Just very confused."

"Well, that's mighty understandable," the elderly mare said. "You just woke up in a completely unfamiliar body. And your head is fine, too?"

"Yes, I'm just a little dazed, that's all," Applejack confirmed. "Why are you asking? Do I sound weird?"

Granny Smith frowned. "Not weird in the usual sense. Didn't ya notice that when ya speak, y'sound jus' like yer tryin' ta imitate some of those prim and proper folks from Canterlot?"

"What?" Applejack was surprised. "What do you mean? I'm not trying to talk like…" Then she noticed it and her eyes went wide. "My… my countryisms… they're gone!" A cold shiver went over her bare back and she hugged her blanket closer to herself. "What's happening to me, Granny?" she muttered.

Granny was about to say something comforting to her granddaughter, when Apple Bloom returned, carrying a big bundle of clothing. "Sorry, this is all I could find," she said as she put the stuff down on her sister's bed. "Just this big poncho and the pants of your lion costume from Nightmare Night. There's also your gown for the Grand Galopping Gala, but… I don't think that's gonna fit ya anymore."

Applejack sighed. "Looks like I have to visit Rarity before going to Twilight."

* * *

Meanwhile, on a completely different world, deep within the castle of Bowser, ruler of the Koopa Kingdom…

The king of all Koopas felt a headache coming as she looked down at his youngest son, the crown prince of the kingdom, Bowser Junior. Or maybe daughter would be more correct, as Junior currently had the form of a young human girl. She was wearing a Magikoopa's robe that was much too wide for her. But that was still better than letting her run around the castle naked.

"Well?" Bowser tapped his right index claw against his throne. "I'm waiting for an answer, Junior."

"But I told you, Dad," Junior said, sounding more whiny than ever in her new, high-pitched voice. "I never touched that stupid crown! I just woke up like this."

"Am I supposed to believe that?" Bowser roared, so that not only Junior ducked her head under her father's voice, but also the Koopa guards in the room. "I've told you time and time again that the super crown is nothing but trouble! When I put it on, it caused me nothing but embarrassment. Don't you remember the millions of 'Bowsette' pictures that were circulating the kingdom?" He shook his fist in anger. "I wasn't able to show my face in months. That's why specifically ordered this crown to be locked away in the deepest dungeon of my castle, behind seven locked doors. That cursed artifact must never see the day of light again… and I definitely don't want to see it being worn by one of my children!"

"But, Dad…" Junior spoke up. "First of all, if you wanted to get rid of the crown… why didn't you just throw it into a pool of lava?"

"Are you mad?" Bowser snorted. "With that thing, who knows what would happen? Knowing my luck, it would have turned the entire lava into another horrible parody of Princess Peach. Best to just lock it away forever in a vault. And I believe I told you and your siblings never to open that vault!"

"But Daaaad!" Junior whined. "I really, really didn't open the vault, you have to believe me. I'm not even wearing it at the moment. See?" And the new Koopa princess pointed at her head. Bowser saw the bushy mane of red hair atop her head, but there was no crown.

"Huh?" he uttered in confusion. "But… wait a minute… the crown doesn't just disappear when you put it on. How did that happen?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you, Dad," Junior sighed. "I don't know what changed me, but it wasn't the crown."

"Then was it some other powerup?" Bowser took a second guess. "Maybe it'll go away once you take a hit? You there!" He pointed at a nervous-looking Hammer Brother. "Hit my son with your hammer!"

"Wh-wh-what?" Junior gasped.

"If I may, Your Bafflementedness," spoke up Kammy Koopa, one of Bowser's head wizards. "I've seen countless spells before, and I can say with certainty that this was not caused by some sort of powerup. It is much more likely that your son was transformed by some sort of curse."

"Curse? Who dares cursing the royal Koopa family?" Bowser roared. "Why, when I get my claws on them, I'll squash them under my spiked shell. No, I'll squash them under my shell, then I throw them into a pit of fire, and THEN I'll have them thrown into the dungeon so they can think about what they've done!"

"But… what about me?" Junior asked. "I wanna be a boy again. I don't wanna be a girl… girls are yucky. And dumb."

"What? Who said that?" The door to the throne room opened as Wendy O. Koopa, the actual daughter of Bowser, entered. "I heard everything. Who said girls are dumb? Wait…" She glared at Junior in confusion. "Daddy, who is that?"

Bowser sighed as he rubbed his temples. "Junior, please do not insult your sister. You know how she is when she gets angry."

"Junior?" Wendy asked. "That is Junior?" She came closer. "But she's so… so human-like. So squishy and tiny and… and…" A huge grin then appeared on her face. "So CUTE!"

"Oh no…" Junior muttered when she realized that her sister was about to do. She tried running away, but Wendy scooped her up in a massive hug. "Ooooooh, you're just so ADORABLE like this! We're gonna do soooo many fun things together, little sister. We'll be going shopping for clothes, then we'll try on some shoes, put on pretty necklaces and makeup… ooooh, that hair would just be LOVELY with a huge, pink bow, wouldn't you agree?"

"Noooooooooooo!" Junior wailed as she was dragged outside the room by Wendy. "King Dad… please… HEEEEEELP!"

"Um… okay then… have fun, girls." Bowser muttered. When they were gone, he sighed in relief. "Phew… at least Wendy can take care of her now. I'm horrible with daughters…"

* * *

Central City, a while ago…

"Give up, you worthless piles of junk metal!" shouted Shadow the Hedgehog, as he dashed through the army of Egg Pawns that stood in his way. But those that were lucky enough not to be caught in his path realized soon enough that their luck was short-lived as a spray of bullets tore through their bodies, as a much taller and bulkier robot opened fire on every Egg Pawn he saw.

"Eradicate all Eggman robots!" E-123 Omega said in his emotionless voice as he assisted the black hedgehog in battle.

A small swarm of flying robots appeared from behind a building, but a winged shadow fell upon them. Rouge the Bat, special operative of G.U.N. and part-time-thief spun her body around and drilled her sharp combat boots into the metal hide of the robots. "Leave some for the rest of us, big boy," she said with a wink as she threw more robots down from the skies.

The three comrades met in the middle of the streets. "Was that all of them?" Rouge asked.

"Don't let your guard down just yet," Shadow said. "Whatever scheme he's come up with now, the good old doctor is never one to give up easily."

"Several Egg Fleet ships coming in from the west," Omega commented. "Recommend pursuit and destruction."

"Today is certainly not going to be a boring day," Rouge said with a small sigh. "And I was looking forward to a relaxing trip to my favorite jewelry store."

"What, you're not having fun here?" Shadow asked her with a smirk.

Rouge shook her head. "Fighting sure can be fun at times, but you two do nothing for fun except that. I really need to find you boys a hobby. But for now, let's not keep Eggman waiting."

That's when it happened: Rouge suddenly felt dizzy, as if the whole world was spinning in front of her eyes. She stumbled backwards, tripped over some rubble and tried to catch herself using her wings… but for some reason, they would not work. So she fell down right on top of the destroyed remains of an Egg Pawn.

"Uuuugh…" she groaned. "That sure was undignified… do me a favor, boys, and don't tell anyone I just tripped like that. That was unbecoming of a lady and a special agent."

She noticed Shadow just staring at her, his mouth hanging wide open. "What?" she frowned. "Are you not going to help me up? Some friend you are."

"Rouge?" Shadow muttered. "Is that… you?"

"What a ridiculous question…" she grumbled as she pushed herself up. "Who else would it be but me? Goodness, why does the ground seem so far away all of a sudden? One of those robots really must have hit me on the head. And why are my boots to tight?" She looked ahead… and saw nothing. "Shadow?" She looked down… and then she saw him again. "Why are you so… small?"

"It's not me, you just got bigger," Shadow explained. "And that's not the only thing that changed… just look at yourself!"

"What are you talking about?" she asked. She looked down… and realized that her spy outfit got ripped at several places, as her body had grown to the size of a human. No, that wasn't it, she realized after a moment. She didn't grow to the size of a human… she had become a human herself. She also realized why she hadn't felt her wings when she tried to catch herself from falling… she had no wings anymore. She reached up to feel her ears… they were now small and mostly hidden underneath the white, shoulder-long hair atop her head. "Um, guys? How did this happen?"

"Don't ask me, I've got no clue," Shadow said. "Maybe… some sort of secret weapon Eggman designed? Or some burst of chaos energy?"

They both turned their heads when they heard the clicking of a gun.

"Unfamiliar human lifeform detected," Omega said in a threatening voice as he aimed his arm guns right at Rouge. "Ally Rouge the Bat nowhere to be found. Analyzing situation… Target might be a disguised Eggman robot to catch us off-guard. Extreme caution is advised!"

"Omega, what are you doing?" Shadow shouted. "Lower your weapons at once, this isn't a robot! That's Rouge!"

"Your statement is illogical," Omega exclaimed. "Rouge the Bat is a not a human. No scientific method devised by humankind is able to transform a living creature into another. She must be a robot who was teleported here in Rouge's place."

"Now now, Omega, sweetheart…" Rouge chuckled nervously as the robot's guns were aimed directly at her head. "Please think about what you said for a moment, okay? Didn't you recognize me as a human lifeform? How can something alive be a robot?"

"Biological robots are known to exist," Omega stated. "You might be a new invention of Eggman: A robot that can't be recognized as a robot. All Eggman robots must be eliminated!"

"If you can't recognize her as one, how can you be sure she's a robot?" Shadow argued. "And besides, why would Eggman create a decoy Rouge robot that looks like a human? Wouldn't it make much more sense to make a robot that looks like her regular self?"

For a short while, Omega didn't say a word. It seemed like he was processing Shadow's and Rouge's suggestions in his computer brain. And finally, he came to the conclusion that he was not designed for complex analyses, he was designed to fight.

"Human lifeform will be classified as ally… for now," he said, lowering his arms.

Rouge sighed in relief. "Thank you, Omega. She then looked at herself again and blushed. "Oh dear… I really can't stay in public like this for much longer. And it's not like I can fight in this condition. Sorry boys, it looks like I'll have to leave the rest of the fight to you."

"I can't just leave you here, all on your own," Shadow insisted. "Someone needs to get you to safety. Omega, I need to take Rouge out of here. Can you handle the rest?"

"I shall destroy all of Eggman's troops!" Omega proclaimed.

"Are you sure he can take of all these ships all on his own?" Rouge asked in a worried tone. "He is pretty powerful, but he's not invincible."

"Dangit!" Shadow swore. "Backup troops won't arrive until after at least another hour. What do we do until then? We need some help!"

"Did somebody say he needs help?" A blue blur came dashing down the side of a tall building and stopped right in front of the black hedgehog.

Shadow groaned when he realized who it was. "I meant anybody but you, Sonic…" he grumbled, crossing his arms.

The blue, heroic hedgehog gave him a smirk. "Aw, c'mon, buddy… just admit it, you're happy to see me."

"I'm not. But I guess I have no choice but to leave this to you and Omega. Just try to leave some Egg Pawns for me when I return… I just need to bring her to the infirmary."

"You got it, pal," Sonic nodded. "By the way, who is she? She's a real cutie."

"Not all of us have a weakness for human girls like you, Sonic!" Shadow snapped in annoyance.

"Oh, reeeeaally?" Sonic smirked. "Could have fooled me, the way you keep talking about that Maria… ow!" He winced when Shadow suddenly punched him in the face. "What in the world was that for?"

Shadow gritted his teeth. "Just shut the hell up…" He picked up Rouge and ran off.

Rouge blinked a couple of times as she suddenly found herself being carried through the ravaged streets of Central City. "Well, that sure was something," she said as she looked at Shadow. "What was that you said? You don't think I'm cute? Now you really hurt me, Shadow…"

"Not now, Rouge…" Shadow grumbled. "We have more important stuff to worry about. Such as, why did you transform into a human for no apparent reason?"

"Well… it certainly would be nice if we figured that one out." She ducked her head as Shadow ran underneath a partially collapsed bridge. "I seriously doubt it has anything to do with Eggman, though."

"And how do you figure that?" Shadow asked.

Rouge looked down at the small wand with the Venus symbol she had found in her pocket. "Just a hunch…"


	15. Equestria Enters the Fray

Twilight Sparkle, prodigy of magic, personal student of Princess Celestia and current princess of friendship, was searching through the books in her library, faster than any other pony could search.

"And you are saying this transformation happened while you were asleep?" the alicorn asked while using her magic to levitate several books down from the bookshelf to down where she was standing.

"As Big Mac would say: Eeyup!" Applejack nodded. She grumbled in annoyance as she used her new-gained fingers to scratch her leg. "Darn it… I know I should be grateful to Rarity for making me these new clothes in such a hurry, but why do they have to be so itchy?"

"Well, Rarity probably doesn't have any experience making clothes with creatures that have no fur," Twilight remarked. "But itchy clothes will be the least of our problems if I can't find this book about translocation portals… Gah, I know I've put it somewhere in this shelf." She shook her head. "But I just don't get it, Applejack. The portal leading to Canterlot High couldn't be the reason why you transformed. The magic only transforms you while passing through to the other world. And you've never been over there before."

"All I know is that I'm starting to realize when you meant that these human bodies will need some time to get used to," Applejack said. "I feel like a lot of my strength is gone. Those wiggly fingers are creeping me out… and then there are those things!" She carefully poked her left breast. "Honestly, why are they up HERE? And why are they so BIG?"

Twilight coughed a bit. "Well, yes… your other version from Canterlot High has always been a bit more… endowed than most of her other friends, I've noticed. As for your strength, it makes sense that it's reduced. You aren't an earth pony anymore, after all."

"Just my luck…" Applejack sighed, crossing her arms… or at least she tried to. She let out another annoyed grumble as her ample bosom got in the way of her arms. So she settled with crossing them behind her back. "You know when the others are coming back? Rarity told me Rainbow Dash has to prepare for a Wonderbolt Show today. And Fluttershy is taking her class on a field trip to that nature resort with the rare plants and creatures. And Rarity herself is busy with an order from an important client, she barely had enough time to make these new clothes for me."

"I'm afraid I don't know," Twilight said. "And since we need somepony to take care of classes while you and the others are unavailable, Pinkie Pie and Starlight have asked Maud and Trixie to help. Which means that at the moment, you and I are on our own."

"You're trusting TRIXIE to take care of our students?" Applejack wondered.

"I really don't," Twilight said. "But I couldn't think of anypony else. Aaarrrrgh, where in Equestria is that book?"

"It's over here!" Spike Twilight's assistant dragon waved from another shelf at the other side of the room. "You've sorted it into the section for outdated spells, remember?"

"Oh, for the love of Celestia…" Twilight groaned. "Thanks, Spike… what would I do without you?"

"Outdated?" Applejack frowned. "Would that even help us?"

"Well, transdimensional travel is still a very… theoretical field of magic," Twilight explained. "And since no one really takes these kinds of studies very important nowadays, the last date of actually crossing dimensions with success was many, many moons ago. Not counting my own visits to the human world, of course." She quickly took the book from Spike and opened it. "Now let me just try and see if I can find… aha!"

"You found something?" Applejack asked, hope in her voice.

"I think so," Twilight nodded. "Here, according to the studies of Stargazer, every portal between worlds can be used to reach more worlds than just one or two. Their flow of translocation magic simply needs to be adjusted. There aren't many spells capable of that, but luckily for us, I can use Merryweather's method to stall the incoming clouds of dark matter for long enough to…"

Applejack listened to Twilight's ramble of words for several minutes, until they lost all meaning to her. "Um… do you understand any of that?" she asked Spike.

Spike shook his head. "Nope. But this is normal for her. Just wait until her attention comes back to the present. Shouldn't take too long."

"…and that's why we can use this spell to track the remnants of fate bound to that artifact you have to follow it to it's dimension of origin," Twilight just said with a huge grin. "Everything clear so far?"

"Artifact?" Applejack muttered. "You mean… this?" And she pulled the wand of Sailor Mars from her pocket. "I still have no idea what this is. Although, every time I'm holding it… I see images flashing by… images of a shrine… and a blonde human girl with a strange hairstyle that reminds me of apple dumplings…" She frowned. "And for some reason that makes me feel angry… but at the same time, also like I want to protect her at any cost."

"Those most be memories of whoever owned that item before you," Twilight theorized. It seems to be very important to that person, that's why you can see part of their memories. If I am correct, we should be able to track this to where they are at the moment… and using Merryweather's method, we can go through the mirror to reach that place."

"Just the two of us?" Applejack asked. "Isn't that a bit dangerous?"

"But you girls have been on duo missions before," Spike reminded her. "So you should be fine, right? Also, Twilight's an alicorn now."

"I think Spike is right," Twilight said with a smile. "As long as we're careful, we should be able to do this. Usually, not too many people should travel to other worlds at the same time. It's okay if it's just you and me."

"And what about me?" Spike asked. "Can I come, too? I've gotten pretty used to travelling to another world. And being a dog doesn't bother me as much as it used to. I don't even mind the fleas."

"Sorry, Spike. But I think it's best if you stay here," Twilight said. "Somepony has to watch the mirror while we're gone. I want to make sure Applejack and I are still able to return home after this is all over."

"I guess that's a good point," Spike sighed. "Okay fine, I'll stay here. But you need to tell me about everything that happened while you were in… wherever the mirror's gonna take you this time. Got it?"

"Don't worry, Spike," AJ said with a wink. "I'll make sure to remind her. Now then, Twilight… shall we do this?"

Twilight nodded. "All right, I'll start casting the spell now."

* * *

In the meantime, in Hyrule…

"Twilight scoundrel!" Ghirahim gritted his teeth as he paced up and down. "Curses! Where has that idiot run off to now? How can he just leave me alone with the troops in such a time of urgency? Who does he think he is? Does he ever think about others? Does he think being a demon lord and the sword of our lord is an easy task? Dealing with these morons was difficult enough back when they were just a bunch of mindless beasts!"

"Um…" One of the transformed Lizalfos slowly raised a talon. "Sir, you know we can hear you, right?"

"Silence!" Ghirahim shouted, making the assembled troops wince. "Don't ever interrupt me while I rant!" He rubbed his temples and groaned. "It's no use… I need to find him and bring him back. If Lord Ganondorf finds out we left out posts, he will be angry with BOTH of us. Curse you, Zant! Curse you for making me do this! You there!"

The demon lord pointed at Asuka. The Lynel girl had finished sharpening her sword some time ago, now she was sharpening her huge spear. She looked up from her work as she was called. Up until now, she had completely ignored Ghirahim's rants, but now she gave him a disinterested "Hm?"

"You seem like the most competent of all these buffoons," Ghirahim said. "I'll be gone for a while to search that idiot Zant. Make sure to guard the prisoners with your life while I'm gone. Understood?"

"Hm?" Asuka looked over to where Cia and Lana were bound together. "Oh, these two? Yeah, no problem… you got it, boss."

"That's 'Demon Lord Ghirahim' to you, creature!" he snarled. "And don't you forget it!" Furiously, he swung his cape around and vanished in a cloud of magic gemstones.

Asuka just rolled her eyes and continued sharpening her weapon. "Sure… whatever…"

As soon as Ghirahim had vanished, Lana let out a sigh of relief. "Finally… they are all gone. Now we might have a chance to escape," she whispered. She made sure that the Lynel or any other of the monsters didn't look her way, then she turned her head towards Cia. "Do you know where they keep our book and staff? I think I can cut these ropes somehow, but we need a distraction to get out of here. And I don't think we'd get far without our weapons."

"Why do you want to leave?" Cia muttered. "And where do you want to go? No matter where we go, they would find us in no time. I doubt we would make it back to the Gates of Time before they catch up with us."

"I don't want to get back to the Gates of Time," Lana said. "I want to find Link. The Link of this time, I mean. He's the only one who can fix everything. Also, you must have noticed that he is one of those who were affected by the surge, just like Ganondorf. Didn't you?"

"What difference would that make?" Cia asked. "The changes have already been made. Ganondorf's mere presence has already changed this timeline irreversibly. Take a look around: The transformed monsters, the fact that Zant and Ghirahim are running wild in the plains… I'm not even mentioning that two versions of Ganon exist at the same time now. Face it, Lana: We have failed our duty as guardians of time… again…"

"How can you say that?" Lana protested. "And even if it's true, shouldn't we do everything in our power to at least fix whatever we can? Ganondorf might be in this time period now, but we still can try to stop him. Or do you want to wait until he forces us to misuse our time powers again? What if he decides to manipulate another timeline like this? We have to do something."

"And if we escape, then what? Do you even know where we can find Link?"

"No, but everything is better than just sitting around and doing nothing," Lana argued. "Come on now, didn't you say you wanted to atone for your mistakes in the past?"

"Do you have to bring that up now?" Cia grumbled.

"Hey!" Asuka shouted. "What are you two whispering about over there? Stop that, it's annoying."

"S-s-sorry…" Lana squeaked. The huge Lynel did intimidate her quite a bit.

Suddenly, her body went tense. "Wait…" she murmured. "Do you feel that?"

"I do," Cia nodded. "Someone… or something… is trying to reach through the passageways between worlds. That surge… it must have weakened the boundaries immensely if anyone can just do that."

"Let me see if I can find out who this is…" Lana whispered. She concentrated. "Um… hello?"

For a while, there was silence. But then, a female voice spoke up within Lana's mind: "Hallo? I am Princess Twilight Sparkle from Equestria. Who am I talking to?"

"Equestria?" Lana wondered. "So you really are from another world."

"Don't talk out loud!" Cia hissed under her breath as Asuka looked into their direction yet again. "This is a magic message, communicate with your mind!"

Lana nodded and tried simply thinking of the words she wanted to tell this princess from another world. "My name is Lana," she communicated. "I am one of Hyrule's guardians of time. Are you trying to use a portal to travel between time and space?"

"Hyrule?" The princess' voice sounded confused. "Well, me and my friend were trying to go to another world to find someone. She changed and has something that doesn't belong to her. We want to give it back to the person it belongs to."

"Then she switched her appearance, powers and destiny with that person?" Lana asked in surprise. "That's just what happened here. Somehow, a huge surge of power disrupted the flow of time, space and fate between the different worlds and affected several people, just like it affected your friend."

"That sounds… very serious," Twilight said with worry. "Can we help somehow? Maybe we can fix this."

"We can," Lana confirmed. "But at the moment, my sister and I are being held captive by a dangerous group who wants to take advantage of this situation for their own good. Right now, their dangerous leaders have left, but there are still monsters around to guard us. Do you have any experience fighting monsters?"

"You could say that," the princess answered with just a bit of hesitation. "All right. I think I can adjust the portal's flow to your destination…"

"You can do that?" Lana asked in astonishment.

She could almost see the proud smirk in Twilight's face, even though she had no idea what the princess actually looked like. "Oh, nothing a bit of studying and improvising can't fix. I found this really useful spell, which in combination with Merryweather's method can be used to…"

"Never mind, tell me afterwards," Lana muttered. "We don't have much time until they come back."

"Right, of course," Twilight said. "Hold on just a moment, we'll be right there."

"Thank you." Lana sighed in relief before severing the magical connection between herself and Princess Twilight.

"I heard everything," Cia whispered. "Let's just hope this princess actually knows what she's doing…"

"Oh, quit worrying," Lana whispered back. "You just have a bad experience with princesses, that's all."

Cia scowled at her twin, but decided not to say anything more. Impatiently, she waited.

Everything was quiet for several minutes. Well, quiet except for the noises of Asuka sharpening her spear, Akane's snoring as she took a nap and the sounds of some dice being rolled by Sayuri and Yuka as they played a little game to kill time.

"That's two fours. Yuka wins!"

"Hey, that not fours. That two fives. Yuka not won. Yuka not know how to count."

"But is four not more than five?"

"Errrrm… Sayuri not know. Um… go fish?"

"Yuka starting to think Sayuri not know how to play Poker…"

But before Sayuri was able to look up the rules, a bright flash of light in the middle of the coliseum made everybody jump. And with that flash, a blonde human woman appeared, together with… a small purple pony with a horn and wings.

"Whoa…" The human girl stumbled a bit. "Gee, Twilight… warn me the next time we travel between worlds. I feel like everything's spinning."

"That's just translocation sickness, it'll be over soon," the purple pony said. "After the first two or three journeys through a portal, you get used to it."

"What the…?" Asuka grunted as she jumped to her four feet, her spear in hand. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Sweet Celestia, what is that?" the blonde girl gasped. "Is that a pony mixed with a… manticore?"

"Calm down, Applejack," Twilight said. "This is a different world, so it's natural that there are a lot of unusual creatures. We probably look as weird to them as they look to us. Let me try to communicate. Ahem…" She cleared her throat and raised a hoof. "Greetings, inhabitants of this world! I am Princess Twilight Sparkle from Equestria, and this is Applejack. We come in peace. Now, as the princess of friendship, let me be the first to extend my hoof in friendship. There is no need to take up arms."

Right away, the Bokoblin girls picked up their weapons, followed by the Lizalfos. "That's a strange-looking purple horse," Yuka said. "She has horn like Moblin. Is she Moblin-horse?"

"Idiot, Moblins no have wings!" Akane shouted. "But small horse is good for riding for Bokoblin." She grinned. "Akane call dibs on purple wing-horse!"

"Hey!" Twilight shouted in annoyance. "I didn't give anypony permission to ride me."

Asuka grinned and pointed a claw at the two. "Get them!" She let out a roar and charged them.

Twilight groaned. "Why can't we ever run into rational and reasonable creatures… Oh well, I tried." She then charged up her magic in her horn and fired a massive blast of energy at the incoming Lynel.

Asuka let out a gasp of shock and pain as she was flung backwards. Once again, the whole coliseum shook under the weight of the huge Lynel. "You little…" Asuka growled as she pushed herself back to her feet. "You'll pay for that!"

Meanwhile, Applejack was faced with a horde of attacking Bokoblins. "Well… now's a time as good as any to find out just how this little thingamajig works," she muttered as she raised the small wand. She tried flicking it, but nothing happened. AJ quickly ducked behind a collapsed pillar as an arrow came flying her way. "Shoot, how do I use this stupid thing?" she muttered. "I wish I had my old earth pony strength back…"

But then, a couple of words crossed her mind. She was certain she had never heard them before in her life, but she somehow knew that she had to say them. She quickly raised the wand above her head and said: "Mars Star Power, make up!"

Applejack found herself surrounded by a sudden burst of energy. Rings of flame surrounded her, but didn't actually hurt her. She could feel that she was in control of the flames and the power that came to her through the magic wand. In a bright flash, her clothes transformed into a sailor fuku, even though she had no way of knowing what that was. She felt a new strength within her and cracked her knuckles with a grin as she stood up behind the pillar.

"All right… we wanted to settle this peacefully, but you didn't want to listen…"

She was interrupted as yet another arrow came flying at her and pierced her hat, which thankfully was still sitting on her head… but now there was a hole in it.

The all-new Senshi glared at the bow-carrying Bokoblin. "All right, I've tried to be nice… but nopony messes with the hat! Y'all want some arrows? Ya got some arrows! MARS FLAME SNIPER!" A huge bow made of flames appeared in her hands, and after a quick aim, she started shooting fire arrows at the Bokoblin pack.

"Aaaaaaah! Take cover, take cover!" Akane screamed as she ran around, arms flailing.

"Why did Yuka even shoot arrow at hat girl? That was stupid idea!"

"Yuka not shoot arrow, Sayuri shoot arrow! So Sayuri is stupid!"

"Everybody just shut up and HIDE!" Akane yelled. Together, the Bokoblins dove for cover.

Meanwhile, Asuka had decided that blindly charging her opponent was not a wise move… so she just opened her mouth and fired a couple of fireballs towards the small alicorn.

"WHOA!" Twilight shouted as she quickly flew out of the way. "Okay, that was just rude. I am a princess, you know. And as soon as I find out who the leader of your people is, I'll have you know that I'm gonna file a complaint and send it directly to them via dragon mail."

"Quit talking!" Asuka shouted. She was getting angrier by the second. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"Oh, I won't quit," Twilight said sternly. "I'm going to lecture you, and you will listen to it until the end, until you've learned your lesson. I also am the head mare of the School of Friendship, in case I haven't mentioned it."

Asuka was about to tear off her own ears, just so she didn't have to listen to the pony's infernal blabbering anymore. "Aaaaaaaaaarrrrgh! I'm gonna tear off your wings! I'm gonna punch you through a wall! I'm gonna…"

Before she could say anything else, Twilight cast another spell… a long ribbon made of pure magic materialized in front of her, flew at the Lynel and wrapped itself around her mouth, arms and legs. Asuka tried flailing around, but the ribbon was just too tight. She collapsed on the floor, where she tried to throw obscenities at the princess. But all that came out was: "Mmmmmph! Mmmmph! MMMMMMMMPH!"

Twilight gently landed in front of her. "Well, that takes care of that. Good thing Rarity taught me that little spell. This is your own fault, you know that? We could have avoided all of this if you just decided to be reasonable and listened to what we had to say. Now, as Fluttershy would say: I want you to lie down for a while and think about what you've done."

Asuka glared at Twilight as if she wanted to pound her to a pulp, but for now, she was unable to move.

"Anypony else who wants to fight?" Applejack asked with a smirk while aiming her flame bow at the Lizalfos. The lizard girls quickly shook their heads and dropped their weapons. AJ smirked. "Didn't think so."

Twilight then quickly ran over to Lana and Cia and untied her, using her magic. "There you go. You must be Lana, right? And who's your friend?"

"I'm Cia," the sorceress introduced herself. She was very curious about the strange equine that just saved them, but she knew that they needed to hurry. "But let's talk about everything later, we need to get out of here."

"She's right," Lana nodded. "As powerful as you seem to be, Ghirahim and Zant are no pushovers. And if their master Ganondorf arrives, I doubt even all of us together could take them on."

"She has a point, Twi," Applejack said. "Let's gallop before any of our friends here decide they want to take another shot at us after all."

"All right," Twilight nodded. "Everyone, gather around. I'll take us out of here with a teleport spell."

And just shortly afterwards, the four of them disappeared in a flash.

Slowly, the Bokoblins decided to crawl back out of their hiding places.

Sayuri looked around. "Sooo… anyone want to play Poker again?"


	16. Zodac's Decision

To say that Zodac was not in the best mood was putting it mildly. The cosmic enforcer had his gaze on all the different worlds that were affected by the 'Surge of Fate', as he called the phenomenon that had scrambled the appearances and powers of the various heroes and villains.

He had been hoping to be able to clean up this mess swift and easy. But instead, matters complicated even further with every step and decision the mortals made. But now, even more decided to cross the borders between worlds.

"The worlds would certainly fall into chaos if the mortals start acting as if they could oppose the rules of fate and order as they please," he grumbled. "And now this alicorn youth from Equestria decided to meddle with forces she doesn't understand, connecting that mirror's pathway with a world it had never been connected with before. I will have to intervene quickly and show that young upstart that gaining great powers does not give you the right to meddle with the rules of the cosmos."

A voice then spoke up behind him. A voice of someone he knew all too well… gentle to those she protected, yet firm and commanding to those she opposed: "That upstart, as you decided to call her, only gained her powers after proving herself time and time again to be worthy to be called a protector of Equestria. More importantly, she is my pupil. So I would advise you to choose your words more carefully, Zodac."

Zodac turned around. "Celestia… I should have known you would condone this." He carefully watched the regal alicorn's appearance. The ruler of Equestria was ever as radiant as the day, but it was clear from her stern expression that she was about to make his life difficult. His glance then wandered over to a slightly smaller alicorn, dark as the night. "And Luna… While I am not surprised that you both would be protective of your little protégé, I must wonder if the two of you know just how much is at stake here."

Celestia shook her head. "Zodac, this is not the first time you decided to take matters into your own hands and judge the mortals for what they are. It is in their nature to question everything they see, to act on instinct or to satisfy their curious minds. I advise you to watch them closer and trust that they are able to fix problems on their own. You have become to impatient with them, enforcer. My student has come this far only because I decided to trust her and her capability to rely on her own abilities and those of others."

"Ah, yes… the magic of friendship." Zodac didn't even try to hide the disdain in his voice. "Something you Equestrians take so much pride in. And while I admit that it would have its merits for the mortals… as a guardian, I am above such frivolous things. Too many mortals have abused the trust of others, to satisfy their own, selfish desires."

"It is far too easy to only see the worst in a mortal's heart," Luna spoke softly. "It takes courage to see past that and recognize the potential they have to make this universe a better place."

"Just like you did, Nightmare Moon?" The enforcer's words were as swift and precise as a blade, and they stung as much. The princess of the night ducked her head under Zodac's angry glare. "Oh yes, I haven't forgotten how misplaced Celestia's trust in you was misplaced. You were appointed steward of the night by higher powers. Yet you only misused that position because of a childish desire to be noticed and loved. If not for your sister's interference, your kingdom would have been doomed!"

"And yet again you fail to see the whole picture, Zodac!" Celestia flared her wings as she stepped protectively in front of her younger sister. "Luna is the best example that even a lost soul can be shown the way back home. If shown mercy and forgiveness, even villains can become heroes."

"Are you suggesting that we give every servant of evil the chance to destroy his world, just for the slight possibility he might be able to reform?" Zodac spat. "I can certainly see that, oh yes. Skeletor, the loyal protector of Grayskull. Krang, the alien scientist who only uses his genius to help Earth. And Ganondorf, the champion of the Triforce, close ally of Link and Zelda." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"There will always be those who refuse to see the world from the perspective of good," another gentle voice spoke up. "Yet is it not our duty to always hope for the best. If we only show mistrust and expect the world to be a dark place, then it will always be dark. The light of hope shines the strongest wherever there's trust."

Zodac looked at the tall, slender woman in the pale, turquoise dress as she gently descended down from the stars. He then noticed that all around him, a lot of other figures have appeared as well.

"Rosalina, guardian of the stars… Celestia and Luna, guardians of the sun and moon… Gaia and Tikal, guardians of order and chaos… Light Hope, guardian of Crystal Castle… and the Sorceress, guardian of Castle Grayskull. So… I assume this is a conspiracy against me. Are you all against my decisions?"

"Please do not misunderstand, Zodac." A young-looking echidna girl wearing tribal clothes and jewelry stepped forth, accompanied by a small, furry creature that floated beside her. "You have always been a good guardian. You work hard and your vigilant eyes keep a constant watch over all the worlds. We respect you and the work you're doing."

The furry creature next to her nodded. "Yeah, Tikal's right. But you know what? You reaaaally need to lighten up, pal. You take everything waaay to serious. I have the feeling you are in serious need of a vacation. You could relax, lie down on the beach, enjoy some ice cream…" The tiny guardian licked his lips.

Tikal chuckled. "Chip… I really don't think that's what he's interested in. Not everybody likes ice cream."

Zodac frowned. "Chip?"

"Oh, that's my new name." The diminutive guardian of order, also known to some as Light Gaia or simply Gaia, grinned. "My new mortal friends gave it to me. You should try making some as well. You might grow to like them."

Zodac shook his head. "What you are suggesting is preposterous. A guardian needs to keep himself distant from the world he is overseeing and those who inhabit it. Only then can he work efficiently and judge them fairly."

"But can a judge give a fair verdict when he sees everyone as guilty?" the Sorceress asked. "Besides, you are not a judge. You are a guardian and an enforcer. It is not part of your job to judge anyone."

"It is my job to enforce the will of the cosmos!" Zodac shouted. "Who else will judge them if not me?"

"Tell us, then, what is the will of the cosmos?" Light Hope asked in his echoing voice. The spiraling pillar of light that was his body seemed to twist and lean forward as he addressed the cosmic watcher. "Can you claim that the cosmos has ever spoken to you? How do you know that your actions are just?"

"I've been chosen to take this position by my predecessor," Zodac insisted. "And we clearly would not be in this position if our ability to make decisions was clouded by the influence of mortals."

"But what are we, if not mortals ourselves?" the Sorceress asked him. "What were you before you became a guardian, Zodac? A brilliant person, that's for sure. A man with an unwavering sense of justice. But yet… were you anything more than just that? A man?"

Now it was Zodac's time to feel a burning sting deep inside his heart. His overwhelming pride was not willing to accept this argument of the Sorceress, and he was about to protest loudly, when Celestia spoke up again.

"A guardian is a position that is taken by a normal inhabitant of the world they are supposed to protect," she said. "Just like I chose Twilight Sparkle to be my successor some day, someone else chose me to be Equestria's defender when I was young. The same happened to everyone of us."

"I used to be nothing more than a lonely child who traveled the stars," Rosalina said. "Tikal was a chieftain's daughter. And the Sorceress was a normal girl called Teela-Na before being chosen by her predecessor, Kuduk Ungol."

"Ridiculous!" Zodac shouted. "We have become so much more than that. We are more than mortals. Is that not why we were chosen? To become something more? To protect others because they are unable to make their own decisions?"

"We are more powerful, yes," Celestia nodded. "And we are burdened with a very important task, which puts us in a very special position. But can we see ourselves as more than those we guard, just because of those powers and our duties? I say it's because of these duties, that we need to remind ourselves every day, that we are not just doing this for us or a higher power. We are doing this for them."

"Celestia is right," the Sorceress said. "You are judging the actions of the guardian of time, yet she is in the same position as you are. She is doing everything she can to bring the flow of time and fate back to normal. And to make sure that everyone who was changed is back to normal, too."

"But she is the one who caused this surge in the first place," Zodac protested. "How can you all defend her actions if you know that without them, none of this would have happened in the first place?"

"Because everybody makes mistakes," Luna said, stepping forth from behind her sister. "No matter if they are human, pony, mutant or any sort of Eternian creature. What I did in my past was horrible, and for the longest time, I was unable to forgive myself for that. But now that I did… now that others helped me realize that you can always learn from your past mistakes… I am able to move on and help Equestria even better than before."

"You are a great guardian," Tikal said. "But if you refuse to admit that you are not as infallible as you think, you will never get the chance to become an even better guardian. Because making mistakes and learning from them is what makes us grow."

Zodac kept silent after that. He felt nothing but confusion. He had always assumed that a guardian had to be better than everybody else, or the balance of the universe would collapse. How could he not know better than anyone else if the universe's safety and stability depended on it?

But now that he heard these words from all the other guardians… They couldn't be all wrong… could they?

"I can see that you all seem to agree on this," he finally said. "You seem to be determined to give these mortals a chance to fix this problem themselves. Very well then. Let them try. It is my duty to be wary of them… but I cannot decide against the judgement of seven other guardians. Ten, if we count the three guardians of time. So I will leave them be and… just watch."

"And there's nothing else we could ever ask of you," the Sorceress smiled. "Thank you."

* * *

Ganya's mind was racing. How was she supposed to approach these two? Link's newest incarnation, she definitely recognized. No matter if this version reincarnated as a girl, it was still the same hero she knew and loathed.

The other girl she remembered as well… it was Midna, the twilight princess, who had already helped a previous incarnation of Link in his battle against her. But why was she here? Did she travel through time, too? Or was this simply one of her ancestors who simply looked like her? But that wouldn't make any sense either. The Twili were supposed to be sealed in the Twilight Realm.

Her first impulse was to rush at Link and attack her with all the hate she could bring up. Caution advised her to stay calm, however. After all, this Link wouldn't recognize her. From what Ghirahim and Zant told her about this time, everyone only knew Ganon as this ancient monstrosity that plagued the land. Not the proud warrior and sorcerer he once was.

But at the moment, she wasn't any of these two. She was Ganya, a travelling Gerudo maiden who grew up outside of the desert. An unremarkable girl in every aspect. Who would suspect her to be the king of evil?

She decided to use this disguise to get closer to them. With a bit of luck and cunning, she'd be able to gather some very information from these two. Her hatred and revenge could wait.

She was so deep in thought that she didn't even notice that she had been staring at Link and Midna for quite a while. Link was still talking to the shop owner, but while looking at the wares, Midna had noticed that this strange Gerudo was looking at her.

"Hey, Link… le, that girl has been watching us for a while. You know her?"

"Hm?" Linkle looked over to where Ganya was standing. "No, I don't know her. And I..." She glanced over to Isha. "I mean… my brother told me he managed to get to know almost everyone who lives in this city. But I don't think this is one of them."

"I don't know her either," Isha commented. With a smile, she approached Ganya, who was still frozen in thought. "Hey there and welcome to my shop. I am Isha, can I help you with anything?"

"Huh?" Ganya was finally pulled out of her thoughts. "Oh, um… hello. I'm Ganya. And no, I don't want to buy anything. I was just… looking for someone."

"You're not talking about me, are you?" Linkle wondered. "Because I've never met you before in my life." Even back when I was male, she mentally added.

"No, you're right… I mistook you with someone else. You two really look similar," Ganya muttered, trying really hard not to look at the Hylian girl's face.

'Don't let her look into your eyes,' she told herself. 'Who knows if he has access to any of his old memories. He might recognize me either way.'

"Awww, looks like she's shy," Midna said teasingly. "How adorable. Why don't we help her? My Link always used to help people wherever he went." She chuckled at the memories.

"Your Link?" Isha wondered. "So are you his girlfriend?"

That took Midna by surprise and made her blush. "E… ehm… n-n-no, we… we're just friends."

Now both Linkle and Isha had to chuckle at the nervous, fidgeting Twili girl. "Adorable indeed," Isha laughed. "But I shouldn't tease. Link really wants to help everyone he meets. He's the one who saved my business, after all."

"Y-yeah, my brother really likes to help people," Linkle grinned sheepishly.

'Oh, I'm sure you do,' Ganya thought. 'You always liked to stuff your pointy nose into things that didn't concern you, you insufferable little goody two-shoes.'

"Well, who are you looking for?" Linkle asked as she walked towards Ganya, always a smile on her face. "I can keep my eyes open for them if you want. I travel a lot, maybe I'll meet them."

"I really don't think you will," Ganya said with a sigh. She detested the idea of having small talk with her arch nemesis, but he really didn't give her any choice. "I just want to…" She froze for a moment. What was she supposed to say? Unconsciously, her hand found her way into her pocket and she felt the strange wand that had given her these new powers. Then she had a sudden inspiration. As useful as this new magic was, she really wanted her old powers back… preferably alongside the Triforce of Power. Maybe she could make Link help her get them back. Inwardly, she smiled deviously. She always had enjoyed to make the hero do her dirty work.

"I want to return this strange thing I found," pulling Pluto's wand out of her pocket. "It belonged to a girl who looks very similar to you and I really want to give it back to her. She must have lost it when we met."

"Wand? Wait a minute…" Midna took a closer look. "Linkle, isn't that the same wand you found?"

"Well, I didn't really find it, it just appeared in my pocket," Linkle said. "But this is interesting." She pulled out her own wand of Jupiter. "Look, they are similar, but different. If these belong to the same person, maybe we are looking for the same girl as you do, Ganya."

"Oh, really?" Ganya feigned a bit of surprise. "That would be really fortunate. Do you know how to find her? I know next to nothing about her… I just met her by accident."

"I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later," Linkle said. "We were just on our way to Riju, the Gerudo chieftain. "She's another old friend of my… brother, and I'm sure she can help us."

"That sounds exciting," Ganya smiled with all the fake enthusiasm she could bring up. "I've never met a chieftain before."

"Oh, she's very nice. You'll definitely like her," Linkle smiled. "Let's go visit her right now."

'So far, so good,' Ganya thought to herself. 'That idiot Link is doing everything he can to help me. And this is a great chance for me to take a closer look at the new leader of my people. All I have to do now is to wait for the right moment to strike. And then, my dear hero… you will see just who you are dealing with.'

* * *

Ganontsuna looked at the back of her palm and frowned when she saw three golden triangles lighting up. It was just for a fragment of a second, but she knew it all too well. As she noticed before, she did not only acquire Ganondorf's appearance, swordsmanship and magical abilities, but also his own fragment of the Triforce, the Triforce of Power.

Setsuna knew only too well how important the Triforce was for the balance and stability of this realm. For many eons now, its pieces had stayed with the reincarnated versions of Ganon, Link and Zelda. The Triforce was said to be created by the gods, so even a third of it held immense magical power. And if it were to be reunited as one, they say you could wish for anything from the gods.

As the guardian of time, Setsuna had a lot of power herself, but she knew it always came at a price. She had to follow a certain set of rules, or she would be seen as no longer fit for her position. The Triforce didn't follow any of these rules. Once acquired, you were free to use its power as you wish.

Setsuna never wanted to have this much power for herself. People like Ganondorf were power-hungry, because it fed their ego and made them feel superior to everyone else. The position as Senshi of time, however, was to be used to protect the fabric of time and space, as well as the princess. Setsuna was willing to use this power to protect everyone. The Triforce of Power, however, was not meant to protect. It was a force of domination and destruction. It was only fitting that a man like Ganondorf could only wield this aspect of the Triforce. But for her… it just wasn't right. She could feel it at night… the Triforce and Ganon's memories were urging her, to use her new power to subdue everyone around her. As the most powerful one, she should be the natural leader. Why was she listening to Minako? Minako had the powers of a spy, a sneaky thief. She would never be able to resist if Ganontsuna decided to go against her.

But she refused to give in. She knew this wasn't her own thoughts, rather the remnants of Ganon's personality she absorbed during the great surge. Minako had proven herself to be a worthy leader of the Senshi time and time again. Whenever Usagi wasn't feeling up to the challenge, it usually had been Minako who had rallied the others to help her. And it was Minako who had the longest experience in battle among all of them. And you didn't need power to be a great leader.

That's what Ganontsuna told herself when she met the others near the entrance of the Zora village. In addition to her teammates and Artemis, Prince Sidon was waiting alongside them.

"I apologize for being late," she said in her deep Gerudo voice. "Thank you for waiting for me."

"What were we gonna do, leave without you?" Makoto smirked. The swordswoman's hand was resting on the Master Sword's hilt, and her backpack was once again filled to the brim with supplies, tools and ammunition.

Ganontsuna realized that Makoto must be in a similar situation as she was. As she had acquired Link's skills and weaponry, she also must have absorbed the Triforce of Courage. The girl probably didn't even know what power she was holding.

"Sidon just told us the best way to reach the foothills of Death Mountain," Minako explained. "According to the reports of Zora scouts, several Gorons have built a protection camp to help any of the transformed monsters to fight against the feral ones that are still on the Calamity's side."

"That's right," Sidon nodded. "If we team up with the Gorons, we have an even bigger chance of driving the Calamity back. And that will give Link a great advantage in his fight against the evil… wherever he may be at the moment."

"But shouldn't we try and switch Mako-chan and Setsuna-mama back to normal before he fights this evil Ganon-monster?" Hotaru asked. "Didn't you say he needs his own sword and powers back before he can beat it?"

"Of course that's true, Hotaru," Artemis said. "But for the moment, we don't even know where to look for him. And joining up with other allies to fight for the same cause is the best next step we can take. And maybe, if we're lucky, we'll run into Link over there."

Ganontsuna exchanged a worried glance with Minako. They both remembered Zodac's words too well. If they decided to meddle too much in the affairs of this world, they would be in serious trouble. He wanted them to take the quickest way to Link and Ganon and switch their powers back to them.

Minako then made a resolute face. "I say we help them. As long as we don't have any other clue where to search for him, we can just as well focus on helping others while we're looking. Also, it's what Usagi would have done."

"Your courage is inspiring," Sidon said with a smile. "Even though you don't seem to be from this country, you decided to help strangers in peril. You really are true heroes, like Link." He grinned with glee, once again showing off his gleaming white sharp teeth. It made Makoto blush when she looked at him, and for some reason, she imagined bright sparkles of light all around his face.

It took her a moment to realize Ganontsuna was talking to her. "Huh?" she muttered, shaking her head. "Did you say something, Setsuna?"

"Yes," Ganontsuna nodded. "I said I wanted to talk to you for a moment before we leave… in private." She looked over to the others. "Is that okay for you?"

The others seemed a bit surprised, but Minako seemed to realize it was important, so she nodded and said: "Sure, we have a few minutes to spare. Just make sure it doesn't take too long."

"Thank you. Shall we, Makoto?" Ganontsuna took Makoto around some trees and to a small clearing, where they could have a private talk. "Sorry to bother you out of nowhere, but I have something very important to tell you."

"Let me take a guess," Makoto said. "This is about Link and his destiny, isn't it?"

Ganontsuna nodded. "You already know that he is an important hero for this world and that his courage and the Master Sword are needed to defeat the Calamity. But I also wanted to tell you that he had a very important power hidden within him, a power that now has to be within you. Since you now have no choice but to carry part of his burden until we manage to switch it back to him, I think you deserve to know."

"You are talking about the Triforce of Courage, aren't you?" Makoto asked.

That took Ganontsuna by surprise. "Yes… yes, I am. But how did you know about it?"

Makoto smirked. "You could say a little bluebird told me about it. Fi, you can come out."

Accompanied by a sparkle of light, the spirit of the blade jumped forth from within the Master Sword. "Here I am, Mistress," she said in her monotone, echoing voice.

Ganontsuna gasped. "You are… you are the spirit of the Master Sword, created by the Goddess Hylia, aren't you?"

"That's right," Makoto nodded. "And her name is Fi. She revealed herself to me the evening we arrived at Zora's Domain."

"It appears your companion has certain information about myself," Fi told Makoto.

"That's because I usually act as the guardian of time for my home world," Ganontsuna explained. "So I need to inform myself about the most important facts of all the other worlds. Even though we never meant to come here in the first place."

"It seems a lot of events have happened that don't appear to follow the original intentions of fate," Fi noted. "That must be why I stirred from my sleep within the Master Sword. For millennia, I lay dormant while the hero of Hyrule wielded by blade to repel evil. In a continuous, repeating circle of fate. But now that the circle was broken, I shall do everything in my power to ensure that the Master Sword, as well as the Triforce of Courage, is brought back into the rightful hands of my old master."

"That's at least reassuring to hear," Ganontsuna smiled. "While we still have no clue about the whereabouts of the hero, we at least continue to gather a sizeable amount of allies."

She then turned to Makoto. "Listen, it's up to you if you want to tell the others about this. I just want to warn you that we are still in a delicate situation. The more we influence this world, the more likely it is that Zodac is going to withdraw us from Hyrule… and punish us."

Makoto gulped nervously. "That does not sound reassuring. At all."

"If I may, Mistress…" Fi spoke up. "The way I see it, you have a 0,035% chance of avoiding influencing this world. Since you are already tied to the Master Sword and the Triforce of Courage, and your companion is tied to the Triforce of Power, the chances of you somehow not affecting Hyrule in some way are extraordinarily slim. I have never met this 'Zodac' individual before, but I simply cannot comprehend how he expects you to hold up this kind of promise in this kind of situation."

Makoto blinked a bit. "That's… actually a pretty good point," she noted. "Even if we didn't decide to help the Zora and the Keese girl back at the river, some of the inhabitants of Hyrule would have noticed that we do not belong here in some way sooner or later. And if anyone realized that I'm the one carrying the Master Sword, they would probably know that something was off. At least those that know of its importance. And Ganon's minions definitely know of it."

Ganontsuna sighed. "Yes, Zodac can be quite… difficult to deal with. Let's just hope that he doesn't nitpick too much when judging our actions. Now come on, let's head back to the others. Death Mountain is still a long way from here…"


	17. Making Friends in the Sewers

At night, Mikey quietly snuck out of her room.

"I'll show them," she muttered. "I'm show them I'm still a great ninja, like I used to be."

The day before, right after she was introduced to their guests from another dimension, Raphael had made a comment that had really stung. She knew he didn't mean it, but it made her realize that being a female wasn't actually the worst thing about being in this body.

"We sure could use some help against Shred-Head, since Mikey can't help us at the moment."

It was meant to be a little joke, to liven up the mood. But Mikey had noticed that something within her had changed. Her movement was not as fluid as it used to be, and she was unable to recall how to do certain maneuvers. She definitely remembered all of the lessons Splinter had given her and her brothers… but it was almost as if her body had forgotten them.

"I'm not a ninja anymore…" she muttered. "How can I help the others protect the city if I can't even fight?"

She was determined to find out if she was wrong. If there was something left of her sensei's teachings, deep within her. So she quietly snuck out of bed, when everyone was asleep, and went to the training room.

At least she didn't manage to wake anybody up. So maybe that was a sign that she still knew how to be a ninja?

But when she opened the door, she realized that someone was already in there… a turtle girl wearing a yellow bandana and an elderly rat.

Usagi was standing on her tiptoes, spreading her arms as she desperately tried not to fall over. Mikey recognized her pose… it was a balance exercise Splinter had made them do a lot in the past.

"Very good, Usagi," Splinter nodded. "Now hold that pose for one more minute."

"Uuuuugh…" the Japanese turtle girl groaned. "I don't think I can… my knees feel all wobbly and my toes are so HUGE… I feel like I'm tipping over any second."

"Just try to focus… banish all worry from your mind, concentrate only on the exercise. You can…" He blinked as he noticed Mikey coming in. The human girl waved sheepishly as she closed the door. "Michelangelo?"

"Whoa, whoa whoooooaaaaaa…" Usagi flailed her arms around as she tried to regain her balance, but in the end, she fell flat on her face.

She rubbed her nose. "Owie…"

Splinter let out a sigh. "Michelangelo… what are you doing here, in the middle of the night?"

"I could ask you two the same thing," she said. "And just call me Michelle for now, sensei… it feels weird to be called Michelangelo when I'm like this."

The old rat nodded. "Very well then… Michelle. As you can see, I am trying to give Usagi here some instructions on how to improve her skills."

"I lost all of my Senshi powers…" Usagi muttered sadly as she stood up. "I want to be able to help my friends in SOME way in battle."

Michelle looked at her in surprise. That was exactly what she was afraid of. "I think you'll do fine," she said. "I mean, you at least have a mutant body that makes you stronger." She sat down and hung her head down. "I don't have anything…"

Splinter immediately realized his adoptive child's inner strife and sat down next to her. He gently put a paw on her shoulder. "Physical strength is not everything," he said in a calm voice. "I thought I taught you that much. There's a lot more you need to take into consideration. Inner strength, focus, skills, talent…"

"But do I still have all of that?" Michelle wondered. "Ever since I changed, I felt like I can't remember all of your teachings very well, master. I mean… I can, but my body feels… unresponsive when I try to use them in practice."

"I think that's what Setsuna explained to us," Usagi said as she sat down with them. "You and I, we exchanged a lot. Our bodies, our strength, my magic and your ninja skills."

"That explains it," Splinter nodded in thought. "I thought I sensed something familiar about the way you hold yourself during training, Usagi. Your mind does not appear to know anything about ninjitsu, but your body seems to remember everything… everything I've taught to Michelangelo, that is. I believe that if I give you a bit of a reminder course, you might be quick to learn everything Michelangelo has learned… in a much shorter time than anyone had been able to learn this before."

"That's great for her," Michelle sighed. "But what about me? She has my ninja skills, and what do I have? I mean… I know all of this is only temporary, until we manage to swap everyone back. But until that happens… does that mean I can't help at all?"

Splinter shook his head. "Michelan… I mean… Michelle. Have you not listened to what Usagi just said? You two exchanged everything. That means you have everything she lost. Her appearance, her humanity…"

Usagi's eyes widened. "And my magic! Of course! Didn't you tell me you found my magic wand among your stuff? I bet you can use it to transform. I can show you how, if you want." She was very excited all of a sudden. "Oh, oh, oh… I can teach you how to strike a cool pose after your transformation is over! How does that sound?" She grinned.

"Magic?" Michelle was surprised. "You're saying I can use magic?" Her eyes lit up a bit at that notion. "That actually sounds pretty sweet… but wait." She looked at Splinter. "Sensei… won't you be mad at me if I can't use your teachings in battle?"

Splinter had to chuckle a bit. "Now why would I be mad at you? I anything, I think I always told you boys to always use whatever advantage you can find in battle. If anything, a ninja is a survivor and will use whatever is necessary to persist. Most of the ancient ninjitsu arts were developed simply because the first ninja didn't have anything fancy such as the fine, crafted blades or the armor of the samurai. I'm sure they would have used magic, if it was at their disposal."

"See, Mikey?" Usagi grinned. "You're not useless. You can be… the first ever magical ninja girl in New York!"

"You really think so? Oh, wow!" Michelle jumped back to her feet, more excited than ever. "Do you think I could maybe conjure up some magical clones to confuse my enemies?"

"Sure!" Usagi shouted with glee. "Well… I don't know if my magic can do that, but… it would certainly be cool."

Splinter had to laugh at that. "Magical clones, indeed… Where do you youngsters come up with such ideas? I think you watch too much anime."

* * *

Somewhere, in a different dimension, Naruto Uzumaki had to sneeze.

* * *

Early in the morning, Raphael woke up and slid out of bed. Groggily, he shuffled into the kitchen. "Need some coffee…" he mumbled to himself… when he heard some voices.

"That was great, Michelle. Now, do it again."

"All right! I'm gonna give it all I've got!"

"What the hell?" Raph muttered. "It's five in the morning… who's making that noise?"

He followed the voices towards the training room and opened the door… where he saw Michelle standing in the middle of the room, wearing a Japanese-style sailor fuku, striking a weird pose. In the background, Master Splinter and Usagi were laughing and clapping.

"I am the magical Sailor Senshi, Mikey-chan… and in the name of pizza, I'm going to punish you!"

Raphael blinked a couple of times, until his brain actually registered that what he was seeing was real and not a dream. After that, he just closed the door, turned around and walked away. "Whatever…" he mumbled. "It's too early to deal with that kind of crap…"

* * *

Later that morning, Donatello was once again sitting in his workshop. He couldn't get part of what their visitors had said the day before out of his mind.

"So Krang built dimensional portals before, we know that," he murmured to himself. "So how is this one different? It's supposed to be stronger, better… but better how? Does it have a longer reach? Is the connection between two different places more constant? And how can a matter transporter even affect one's body and ability set? They said something about 'fate' being changed… but what is fate? Can it be measured? Can you make a formula out of it? Because if you could, that would change everything we know about modern physics…"

"You are just like one of our friends, you know that?" a bemused voice spoke up behind him. "Ami always tried explaining everything from a scientific standpoint and always has her computer within reach."

Donnie turned his head and saw Krangtsuna's tall frame rise up against him. Her robot body was so big that she had trouble standing up in the small room. With all the computer equipment and tools, the workshop was already cramped enough.

"Oh, it's you," Donatello said. "Um… Setsuna, wasn't it?"

"Technically, that is correct," she nodded. "There are two other versions of me out there… but for the moment, Setsuna will do. Krangtsuna was just a quick nickname we came up with, since I now look just like him."

"How does it feel? I've always wondered how it must feel for him to have no spine… or skull… or any bones at all. It must be an interesting experience." He then realized how his words must sound for Setsuna and quickly added: "F-from a scientific standpoint, of course."

She chuckled. "Of course. Well, it certainly is… different. I've lived for quite some time and I even inhabited other bodies from time to time, but never one that was so… squishy. Ever since I had it, I've only ever left this robotic suit once. I felt so helpless outside of it… it makes me feel sorry for Krang a bit. But enough about that. What are you doing?"

"Oh, um… just running some tests on my computer," Donatello explained. "I'm not the biggest expert on teleportation physics, but I understand at least the basics. But the dimensional gates Krang uses to open gateways to his home, Dimension X… I've never managed to replicate this alien technology. And this new version you told us about must be even more powerful, if it helped cause the effects we've seen on you, Mikey, Usagi, Leatherhead…"

"Well, it was only one of several gates that caused the surge," Setsuna explained. "And transdimensional travel is not the only use they have. The one I was guarding is mainly used to watch and guard the flow of time."

"A time traveling device, you say?" Donnie's eyes lit up with excitement. "Incredible. Your world's technology must be very advanced. How does it work?"

Krangtsuna couldn't help but giggle at the child-like enthusiasm the teenaged turtle showed. "I would really love to introduce you to Ami. She acted just like you when she first learned about the technology of the ancient moon kingdom. As for your question, I really can't answer it in one sentence. You are right, the Gate of Time is far more advanced than anything humanity has developed on your planet. However, it also works with magic. Without it, I doubt you would be able to replicate it's effects."

"Aw, that's a shame," Donatello said in a disappointed tone. "What about Krang's gate? Could I build something like that?"

"In theory, maybe," Krangtsuna replied. "But I'm not too familiar with the technology from Dimension X. And I'm not really a scientist either. I can use the gate and know a lot about it, but that's it."

"That's too bad," Donnie sighed. "I was hoping I could build my own version of a gate, so we could maybe keep in touch after all of this is over."

Krangtsuna grimaced, as she instantly thought of Zodac and his threats. "That would be… a very bad idea, Donatello."

* * *

Heather grumbled as she paced back and forth through the sewer system. At first, she had hated that new name, but in the end, she realized that her old name really did not fit anymore. Leatherhead was a strong, fearsome and cunning alligator. But at the moment? She was nothing but a weak, frail, human girl.

Even her nose was pathetic. Staying here in the sewers for a longer time made her realize just how awful the smell was. She used to feel at home whenever she came here, her second home away from the swamp.

Still, these tunnels were a lot better than the turtles' hideout. Comfortable furniture, food from the fridge or baked in the oven, a television set… the mere sight of those things disgusted her. What were those turtle boys trying to be? Humans? Ridiculous! They should be proud and happy to be the strong reptilians they had become. The ooze was a blessing, giving them their powerful forms.

And all that chatter with their so-called 'friends'… it made her new human ears hurt. Sure, she had teamed up with the Rat King in the past, and at one point, even with the Shredder… but those had all been fleeting alliances. She was a lone hunter at heart. She never needed anyone else.

"I hope those idiots find a way to turn us all back to normal soon," she said to herself. "And as soon as that happens, I'll be givin' the ones responsible a powerful smack with my tail and a big chomp with the good ol' gator teeth." She chuckled. "And then it's back to the swamp with me, all by my lonesome self, I guarantee."

When someone else's voice echoed through the sewers, she felt annoyed. It was bad enough to be stuck in this form, and having to endure being dragged to the turtles' home and all those annoying clothing shops. Couldn't they just leave her in peace?

"Wait a minute…" she muttered. "Is that… sobbing?" She followed the noises to where the entrance of the turtle hideout was. There, at the edge of the floating sewage, sat one of the other visitors that had appeared in the sewers. It was that one tiny turtle girl with the strange, stubby spikes on her shell. She rolled her eyes in annoyance. Turtles… she just couldn't get away from them.

"Hey," she shouted. "Whaddya doin' there, little shrimp? Aren't ya goin' inside to join your buddies? What are ya cryin' for?"

Chibiusa looked up at the wild-looking woman with the weird accent. She didn't want anyone to see her crying… but at least it wasn't Usagi. "I… I'm not crying," she hiccupped, wiping her tears out of her face.

"Aw yeah? Coulda fooled me," Heather sneered. "Yer not very good at lyin', pipsqueak. Not that I really care, but I wanted to have some peace for myself down here, so what's the matter with you?"

"Did you need some time for yourself because you're sad about something, too?" Chibiusa wondered.

"Aw heck no!" Heather snapped. "Leatherhead's never been sad about anything, ya got that? I'm the one who makes everyone else cry, that's the way it is, I guarantee!"

Chibiusa had to chuckle a bit at that. "Leatherhead? That's your name?"

"Yeah, so what? You better not laugh at my name, shrimp. Anyways… I guess it's Heather right now, actually." She grumbled a bit. "Leatherhead's a big, tough gator. I'm just… a human."

"What's wrong with being a human?" Chibiusa wondered. "I mean, being a turtle is fun I guess, but I'd rather not be one the rest of my life. I wanna be human again at some point. And, most importantly, I wanna have my friend back, Diana." She sighed. "Something happened to her when we came into this world. And I'm really worried about her."

"See? Now that's what I'm talking about," Heather said. "Why does everyone always want me to hang out with someone else? What's so great about sitting together, talking about the most boring stuff, eating pizza or whatever human junk you've got, when you're always better all on your own?"

"You want to live by yourself?" Chibiusa was surprised. "Don't you have any friends?"

"Heck naw!" Heather grimaced. "Why would I want to? Friends are annoying. They always want stuff and make you do things you don't wanna do. And when they get in trouble and can't take care of themselves, ya always got to pull them outta the quicksand." She made a dismissive gesture with her hand. "Best not to bother yourself with that stuff."

"Well, I… guess I know what you mean," the little Koopa girl said thoughtfully. "Usagi can be really annoying… and mean. But at the same time, she can also be very sweet and helpful. And Diana… she and Hotaru-chan are my best friends in the whole wide world." She smiled. "It's fun to be with them. We can think of funny jokes, pranks we play on others or go eat some ice cream together. And when you feel bad about something, they're always there to make you feel better."

"Why would I want anybody to see me when I'm at my weakest?" Heather asked. "I want everyone to see me as the gator I am… strong, tough and independent!"

"But doesn't that get boring after a while?" Chibiusa wondered. "And besides, everyone is sad or upset every once in a while. That's normal, it just can't be helped. And if it happens anyway, wouldn't it be better to have someone who helps you along the way? So you both feel better and stronger?"

"There's no one as strong as me," Heather claimed.

"Maybe not. But wouldn't it be cool to have someone like that? Someone who just gets you and who wants to do the same, fun things you like to do?"

Heather's first impulse was to just keep protesting. But then she thought back to when she first teamed up with the Rat King. He wasn't exactly the best example of a human being. She certainly wouldn't trust him in the long run… and she definitely would never go so far and call him a FRIEND. But when they fought together against the turtles, she had felt something. Something that did connect them… a common desire, the feeling that there was at least SOMEONE who shared the same interest as you. And for a while, that actually felt great.

"Maybe… maybe havin' someone like that can be fun once in a while, I s'pose…" she grumbled. "I still prefer to be on my own, though."

"Well, it's not like you and your friend have to be together at all time," Chibiusa smiled. "If you like each other enough to just meet once a week or maybe even month, then that's a good start too, isn't it?"

Heather looked down at the little turtle kid. She noticed that their talk had managed to stop her crying and put a smile back on her face. And even though she didn't really care all that much for the shrimp, she decided that helping her was a success she could be proud of. And she did it all without the help of gator teeth or a thick, scaly tail.

"Yer a spunky one, kid," she finally said. "What's yer name."

"I'm Chibiusa," she smiled. "Please to meet you, Leatherhead-san."

"Um… likewise. And I, uh… hope you'll see your friend… Diana, was it? Hope ya see her again soon. If she's tough enough, then I s'pose she'll have no choice but to wait until she finds you again."

"Yes, you're right," Chibiusa nodded. "Diana is my friend. And she knows I'll come looking for her, no matter what. And when I find the one who took her from me… I'll throw a Bob-omb at them!"

Heather couldn't help but chuckle. "That's the spirit, kid. Now why don't you go to your friends and… hm?" She narrowed her eyes and quickly turned around. "Something's coming…"

"What? Are you sure?" Chibiusa asked. She peered into the darkness and kept her ears open. And then, she heard it too. A strange, scraping sound that seemed to be coming out of the walls. "Sounds like… chewing."

"Yer not wrong, shrimp…" Heather muttered. "What in the name of Mary Bones…?"

And suddenly, the wall in front of them collapsed. A huge hole opened up, revealing dozens, if not hundreds of small, metal robots whose huge jaws kept chomping through the bricks like they were nothing but pizza.

"Goddammit, those are Mousers!" Heather shouted. "Quick, kid! Get back inside and tell those turtles there's trouble out here."

"Aw heck no!" Chibiusa shouted, sounding almost like a tiny version of the Cajun gator girl. "I'm not leaving you by yourself against so many of those things."

"Are ya crazy?" Heather gasped. "That's no joke, kid, those things are gonna chew you up and spit ya out like some sort of bubblegum."

"I'm not scared. I've fought monsters before," Chibiusa insisted. "And I've got a couple of things from my Clown Car down here." She grinned and pulled a Bob-omb, seemingly out of nowhere. "I'm gonna stay with you. I guarantee!"

Heather was surprised, but then she grinned like she still had her old gator teeth. "Kid, I think I like you more and more. Now come on… let's get those buckets of bolts!"

* * *

"Master Shredder, the Mousers have reached their destination."

"Very good," Shredder chuckled to himself. "That will only be the first wave. After the turtles are done with them, we will send in the Stone Warriors. And after them, the mutants. They will not be able to withstand so much pressure. And in the end… I will win! And New York will finally belong to the Foot Clan."

A red, beeping light interrupted his speech. The great leader of the Foot sighed under his mask and pressed a button to activate the intercom. "This had better be good, Krang. I was enjoying myself for the first time in very long."

"You can play later, Saki," Krang's squeaky, teenage girl-voice echoed through the speakers. "We have some trouble down in the Mouser factory. Someone broke in and is now disturbing the assembly line. Send someone down there to take care of it immediately!"

Shredder suppressed a groan. "Who besides the turtles could be crazy or stupid enough to break into the Technodrome? Show me on screen!"

The main screen in front of him turned on and showed the Mouser assembly line situated on one of the Technodrome, but it wasn't running anymore. Parts and pieces were strewn across the room and the already functioning Mousers were ripped apart by… some strange, black-red blur that zoomed past them. And then, another Mouser was slammed on the ground right in front of the camera, held by a strange, golden-glowing chain.

"What in the world is going on down there?" Shredder asked.

"Hey Shadow," a female voice spoke up over the speakers. "Leave some of those chompers for me, would you?"

"Ha! I could take care of these robots all by myself," a cocky voice chuckled. "What a joke… these are even more worthless than Eggman's piles of junk."

"Well, yeah, but don't get carried away over there. I'm just getting used to this new magic and we still need to find the guy who took my good looks and skills. Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"Well, that flying little rat-friend of Sonic's told us we'd find whoever is responsible in this world, and he brought us here. So all we have to do now is to take this poor man's version of the Death Egg apart piece by piece until the guy in charge comes out."

The female chuckled. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"You have got to be kidding me," Shredder grumbled. He turned around. "Recruit? I want you to meet up with Bebop and Rocksteady down there and put those saboteurs in a holding cell… whoever they are."

"I will not fail in my mission, Master Shredder," Claw said as she stood up from her kneeling pose on the ground. The metal talons attached to her new ninja suit's glove gleamed in the dim light of the room as she spread her claws in front of her face. "All enemies of the Foot shall fall."


End file.
